Not a ‘Groom,’ but ‘Grooming’: It’s Past Time to End Child Marriage (Like Aaliyah to R. Kelly) in the United States

There’s no romance in being a child bride. And whether the “groom” is R. Kelly, with his marriage to 15-year-old Aaliyah, your great-grandmother, or Justine (name changed for protection)—a minor married to a man twice her age in the state of Maryland—more often than not, these marriages are a form of child abuse … government-sanctioned child abuse, in some states.

Child marriage remains legal in well over half of all U.S. states, with over 300,000 minors married between 2000 and 2018. Every year, hundreds of children of every gender, ethnicity and religious background are married, with no regard for their consent. “Groom” might be the technical term in these marriages, but “grooming” is more accurate.

  • TimLovesTech (AuDHD)(he/him)English
    43•3 months ago

    With Project 2025 they also want to end no-fault divorce for everyone.

    A 2004 paper by economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolvers found an 8 to 16% decrease in female suicides after states enacted no-fault divorce laws. They also noted a roughly 30% decrease in intimate partner violence among both women and men, and a 10% drop in women murdered by their partners.

    Just looking at the stats you can see why they oppose it.

    • SaltySalamander
      -5•3 months ago

      10% drop in women murdered by their partners

      You emphasized this as if this were a bad thing.

      • TimLovesTech (AuDHD)(he/him)English
        12•3 months ago

        Nope, highlighted to show why the right is pushing to end no-fault divorce, and divorce in general. They see women as objects that they are signing a contract for, and then own forever thereafter. They see them as property to do as they like with.

        So like abortion, they play the “family” card, but it’s about controlling women and their bodies. The family is just a side effect of the “wife” performing her “marital duty”.