In Wisconsin, a 16- or 17-year-old can be legally married to an adult with only a parent's signature. No judge's approval. No court review. Just a form submitted to a county clerk.

Between 2015 and 2024, 297 minors were married in Wisconsin, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau. The vast majority — 89% — married adults, not other teenagers. And when an adult marries a minor in Wisconsin, sexual relations that would otherwise be a felony become legal.

"These are marriages between a minor woman and an older man," said state Rep. Ann Roe (D-Janesville), who co-authored legislation to ban the practice. "The behavior outside of marriage would be a felony. Using this old law that's still on the books that allows for child marriage is incredibly disturbing and incredibly dangerous for young women."

This isn't a partisan issue. Even deep-red Oklahoma just became the 17th state to ban child marriage. Republican state Rep. Nicole Miller explained the reasoning: "Oklahoma has a responsibility to protect children and make sure they have the opportunity to reach adulthood before making decisions that will shape the rest of their lives." Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin once agreed — as recently as 2020, GOP members co-sponsored a bill to ban the practice. That support has since been withdrawn under pressure from leadership.

Today, legislation to ban child marriage in Wisconsin has been blocked in committee every single session since 2019 — without ever receiving a public hearing. Senate committee chair Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Assembly committee chair Rep. Patrick Snyder (R-Weston) have refused to schedule a vote. Senate President Mary Felzkowski and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos have not moved the bill forward.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin minors face a legal trap: they can be married under 18, but current law provides no explicit right for a married minor to file for divorce.

Research links child marriage to poor mental health, reduced educational opportunity, and higher rates of poverty. "One child married is one too many," said Cathy Myers of Zonta of Janesville, a women's advocacy group that has worked with legislators on the bill.

We're calling on Wisconsin legislators — especially Senate committee chair Sen. Chris Kapenga and Assembly committee chair Rep. Patrick Snyder — to give this bill a hearing and allow a vote. Wisconsin's children deserve the same protection that 17 other states, red and blue alike, have already put into law.