A 15 year old cannot get married?

   Today a new law was passed that brought Missouri in line with just about every other state by not allowing anyone 15 or younger to be married. How did this come to the legislatures attention? It started with a series of reports in the Kansas City Star. An article recently written by Sarah Fenske states  "Those laws, as the Kansas City Star reported in a groundbreaking series earlier this year, made Missouri "the easiest place in America for a fifteen year old to wed." As the paper reported, "From 1999 to 2015, more than 1,000 15-year-olds married in Missouri. Of those, The Star’s review of data shows, more than 300 married men age 21 or older, with some in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Assuming they had premarital sex, those grooms would be considered rapists."
    Having been a High School Counselor it amazes me that this measure is just now passing in 2018. A 15 year old is a Freshman or Sophomore in High School. They are still maturing, some girls have not even started their monthly cycles, some boys are just starting to get that voice change and squeak. And I can assure you that the person wanting to marry them is not another 15 year old. I've spoken to those students dating older men or women and they "know" they are in love. They "know" the person they are with loves them. What did you think when you were 15? Look back at your High school yearbook or pictures. Think of your friends, your likes and dislikes. Anything changed since then?
On a personal note, I wasn't allowed to date until I was 16. My children were not allowed to date until they were 16. I wasn't going to drive him and she needed to be able to kick the guy out if he did something wrong and drive home herself. High School is for having fun with your friends, being silly, learning about relationships and hanging out with groups.
Here is something else to think about: 50 members of the current House of Representatives voted against this change stating it infringed on people's rights... Seriously, Representatives? What are you thinking?