‘Outrageous’: Sen. Raumesh Akbari slams Republican bill legalizing child marriages

Updated April 6, 2022 — NASHVILLE — A Republican bill, scheduled for a vote in the Tennessee Senate on Thursday, would create two separate classes of marriage — one for heterosexuals couples and one for everyone else, the G.O.P. sponsors say, in defiance of U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

The House version of the same bill also legalizes child marriage by eliminating age requirements, a change the House sponsor readily acknowledged in committee, according to WKRN.

Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) is calling the legislation “outrageous.”

“It’s ugly enough Republicans are advancing an unconstitutional bill to undermine marriage equality, but the fact that this bill reopens the debate on child marriage is outrageous,” Sen. Akbari said. “Kids need time to grow and mature. Kids need to be kids — not brides and mothers.”

The Senate legislation is scheduled for a vote by the full Senate on Thursday, April 7. The companion House bill is scheduled for debate in the Civil Justice Committee on Wednesday, April 6.