State Sponsored Child Exploitation, CO Girls can Marry at 15???
We are witness every day to the exploitation of our children by those that are older and in positions of authority. Teenagers are getting into compromising situations that they are ill prepared to handle. Some cases are where teens are having sex with there teachers. In other more bizarre cases we have teens flying off to the Middle East to meet with people they met on the internet.
Well, 15 year old girls need not worry in Colorado anymore. Your parents might have to and the communities you live in, but you will not. The brilliance of the Colorado Court of Appeals overturned the lower courts ruling and made it ok for 15 year old girls to enter into a common-law marriage. Unbelievable.
A 15-year-old girl can enter into a common-law marriage in Colorado, and younger girls and boys possibly can, too, a state appeals court ruled Thursday.
While the three-judge panel stopped short of setting a specific minimum age for such marriages, it said they could be legal for girls at 12 and boys at 14 under English common law, which Colorado recognizes.
The ruling overturned a lower-court judges decision that a girl, now older than 18, was too young to marry at 15.
The panel said there was no clear legislative or statutory guidance on common-law marriages, and that Colorado courts have not determined an age of consentage of consent.
For traditional ceremonial marriage, Colorado law sets the minimum age at 18, or 16 with parental or judicial approval.
So a 15 year old cannot drink, smoke or enter into a binding contract; however, some how in the eyes of the Court they have the decision making capability and maturity to marry. The unbelievable stupidity of the Courts lately is something to just shake one’s head at. Encouraging teens to marry is one of the most irresponsible things our liberal Courts have handed down in recent time.
So much for safety of minors or exploitation. Why do we say exploitation? Lets take a look at the case that prompted this disastrous decision.
Willis Rouse, 38, argued that he and the girl began living together in April 2002 and applied for a marriage license a year later. Did we mention that Rouse is serving time for escape and a parole violation? Did we also mention he was 38? The 15 year old’s mother even consented to the marriage and accompanied the girl and Rouse to obtain a license. Did we mention that Rouse was 38 and his bride to be was 15?
A judge invalidated the marriage, saying anybody under age 16 needed judicial approval for either common-law or ceremonial marriage.
Not any more according to the higher court. The Colorado court has made a decision that is paramount to State sponsored child exploitation. Every day we deal with predators attacking the children of this country, and we get this out of Colorado? OK, someone just needs to come out and say it.
WTF is a 15 year old girl doing with a 38 year old man with the blessing of her mother!!!
Without a marriage license this would be exploitation and rape. What are we supposed to presume what happened between these two prior to the attempted marriage?
The Law makers in Colorado need to step in here and do the responsible thing. Such a law cannot be allowed to exist in the 21 century with manipulative child predators and ignorant non-caring parents who think its fine for their daughter to marry someone 23 years her elder. This is not the 19th century where girls married early to give birth to children so they could help out on the farm.
How are we supposed to help protect our children, if we have courts that make rulings that are in direct conflict with that very principle? I hope the 15 year old’s is Colorado that decide to take advantage of this ruling do not decide to celebrate their nuptials with champagne. That would be illegal. You can marry, but not drink … how screwed up is this?
UPDATE: Looks like we actually do have some law makers upset. They best not just talk about it, but actually do something for a change.
Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald said she was appalled by the ruling and said lawmakers need to look at the issue next year when the Legislature reconvenes.
“That’s a child. You’re taking advantage of an undeveloped person, putting them in a situation that’s for life. That’s something we need to take a look at,” the Democrat said.
(Yahoo News)
No you do not need to take a look at it … YOU NEED TO CHANGE IT!!!