In Massachusetts, with parental and judicial approval, girls as young as 12 years old  and boys as young as 14 are allowed to get married (established by law in1854). From 2000 to 2016, approximately 1,200 children as young as 14 were married in Massachusetts, 89 percent of which were girls married to adult men. About 94 percent of the underage spouses from 2005-2016 were females.

State Senator Harriette L. Chandler, D-Worcester, introduced a bill at 2017-2018 legislative session to end all child marriage in Massachusetts, with no exceptions. Yet the bill was placed under review last March, indefinitely postponing action.

By eliminating marriage for those under the age of 18, this legislation would eliminate the threat of a minor being forced or coerced into a marriage.

Sources: telegram.com, Maslive, Department of Public Health,Cornell Law, Mass Lagislature, Independent