It looks like teen marriage has become the answer for custody battles in the US. Custody battles are going on all across the country, and while they may be seen as necessary, they can be harmful. They can harm the mental health of the two parents involved, but they can also take a toll on the children who may sometimes feel like they are caught in the middle. However, there are parents out there who truly feel like the children will thrive better in certain environments, and this can end up with arguments when past partners do not agree. While there are always many ways to handle custody battles, some of them may not seem to make much sense to society and the surrounding people.
According to US News and CBS News, child marriage has become a ‘legal loophole’ in custody fights, and it is important to understand what this means and how it works.
This topic goes all the way back to a previous situation when one parent gave permission for her teenager to marry. This meant that any and all custody agreements were null and void, because the teenager was now married and had a spouse.
This case is not the only one of its kind, and it is being called a “legal loophole” in child marriage laws across the country. It is usually quite simple, requiring only one parent’s permission for the youth to get married, which would end all custody agreements and rules that were previously set out by the court. Since legal documents are sealed, they cannot say for sure how many youths have been married to avoid a custody battle, but they do know that there were almost 300,000 minors who were married in the use between 2000 and 2018.
Currently, marriage before the age of 18 is legal in 44 states, and this loophole is being called one of the biggest problems that exists. Advocates are also saying that these youths are likely being ‘manipulated’ by their parents to end a custody battle, or to “win” over the other spouse and that it could be akin to child maltreatment. That this is a situation where the parent is making the decision for the youth, with no input from the youth, because kids have no legal rights until they turn 18. They also argue that “parental consent” is not a thing, and that it is actually “parental coercion.”