California bans child marriage, becomes 18th US state to end the practice
- California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation banning child marriage, effective 1 January 2027.
- Courtney Stodden, married at 16 to a 50-year-old actor in 2011, joined Newsom for the bill signing.
- California becomes the 18th state since 2018 to ban child marriage, still legal in 32 US states.
- Advocacy group Unchained At Last said about 9,000 girls were wed yearly in California, mostly to adult men.
Source: bbc.com
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