Stupid, Vicious Adults, pt. III

It's bad enough that the parents allowed this. It's just as bad that the courts could allow it (possibly--see below) without the parents' consent.

The topic:

A 14-year-old girl whose 22-year-old husband is charged with sexually assaulting a minor has given birth to their daughter, and the man said he plans to plead not guilty in the case.

OK, so we have a borderline case of statutory rape. But note that he is her husband, meaning that someone issued a marriage license. Note also that it was with parental consent. Now, if that weren't outrageous enough:

Nebraska requires people to be at least 17 before they can marry. But Kansas does not have a minimum age as long as both parents or guardians approve or the marriage is approved by a judge, said a spokesman for Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline. (emphasis added)

Or. In other words, the parents' approval is not necessary. If the judge feels like it, he/she is free to ignore the very loud objections of the parents. I suppose this is the next logical step after abolishing parental consent for abortions.

(Note: I tried to verify the existence of a law allowing this kind of judicial activism in Nebraska, but I found nothing. Given that the source here is AP, and it isn't even a direct quote, it wouldn't surprise me to find out that it was fabricated.)

(Hat tip: Drudge.)

Posted on Aug 29, 2005 at 10:43:39 PM EDT.