The Kentucky Senate has passed a bill that would outlaw most child marriages in the state.
Senate Bill 48 cleared the Senate Wednesday by a vote of 34-3. The bill would outlaw the marriage of anyone 16 and younger. Seventeen-year-olds could still get married, but they would need the approval of their parents and a judge.
An analysis by the Human Trafficking Research Initiative at the University of Louisville found Kentucky had 9,913 marriages between 2000 and 2015 that had at least one minor. Of those, 93 percent were minors marrying adults and 91 percent were adult men marrying child brides.
Kentucky currently does not have a minimum age limit for marriage. Girls under 16 can marry if they are pregnant and have the permission of a judge.
