Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1267 into law on Wednesday, setting the minimum age for marriage at 18
Nollyanne DelaCruz & Caelyn Pender, Santa Cruz Sentinel
For nine years, Sara Tasneem made the frequent pilgrimage from her home in El Sobrante to Sacramento to share her experience being forced into marriage at the age of 15 to a man nearly twice her age. Tasneem, now 45, would visit legislator after legislator — up to 20 per day — and tell them the impact the abuse had on her life, often bringing everyone in the room to tears.
Tasneem experienced a huge win Wednesday as she stood among other survivors of child marriage behind Gov. Gavin Newsom as he signed into law Assembly Bill 1267, which makes California the 18th state to ban child marriage.
“Frankly, it’s surreal,” Tasneem said. “To have the governor actually sign the bill in front of me was a bit shocking. … After he signed it, I just broke down crying because it was such an impactful moment for me and just a huge moment for all of the survivors who have been fighting for this.”
The bill, authored by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz, and coauthored by 38 legislators, sets the minimum age for marriage at 18 — eliminating previous state laws that made California one of only four states to not have any minimum age for marriage — and follows more than nine years of effort among lawmakers and child marriage advocates to end the practice, according to a news release from Pellerin’s office. No lawmakers in the California Senate and State Assembly voted against the bill.
California law previously only required the permission of a parent and a judge for a person of any age to marry.
“It was so heartwarming to see the survivors finally be recognized and to validate their life experiences and to know that we never want any other child to go through what they’ve gone through,” Pellerin said on Thursday. “Our colleagues over the years have been frustrated with the fact that this bill has not been able to get through committees and to the governor’s desk, and there was just a lot of support and dedication to let’s get this done this year. We were fired up, and we saw an open window and we jumped through it.”
