cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/15199291
Republican defends child marriage: I’m “pro-choice”
A New Hampshire Republican lawmaker who has been under fire for defending child marriage has lashed out at his “haters” while insisting that his stance is “pro-choice.”
State Representative Jess Edwards inspired outrage last week after describing underage teenage girls as “ripe” and “fertile” while arguing against a bill to raise the age of marriage in the Granite State from 16 to 18. The bill passed by a vote of 192-174 despite objections from Edwards and others.
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Edwards described critics of his underage marriage stance as “an army of control freaks that want to entice a pregnant woman into an abortion rather than allow a marriage” in a Facebook post on Monday.
I have a friend who got married at 16 to an 18 year old, with his parents’ permission. It didn’t really work out. Most 16 and 18 year olds don’t even know who they are yet, let alone who they want to spend the rest of their lives with.