Governor Baker Signs Child Marriage Bill
It is official, and the Justice of the Peace Association is deeply honored to witness the momentous and long-overdue occasion. On September 9, 2022, Governor Charlie Baker ceremoniously signed the bill that ended child marriage in the state of Massachusetts.
After the private bill signing, speeches and celebration followed on the interior steps of the State House. It was an exciting day recognizing all of the hard work that went into protecting the state’s children from the human rights abuse of child marriage.
Photos
- JPus managing member Loretta Jay with Representative Kay Khan. Rep Khan and Senator Harriet Chandler led the legislative efforts for six years until the bill finally passed.
- The ceremonial pen
- Governor Baker with legislators and advocates
- JPus Managing Member Loretta Jay with the Unchained at Last crowd: Executive Director Fraidy Reiss, Samantha Marder and Becca Powell.
- Fierce advocates: Senator Chandler, Survivor Jenn, Representative Khan, Representative Ruth Balser
Related Links
- See email from MA Representative Kay Khan thanking the state Coalition members
- Take JPus’ training for marriage officiants about child and forced marriage.
- Read about JPus’ efforts to end child marriage in all of the states we serve.
- JPus managing member’s LinkedIn article and interview about child marriage
- Learn about JPus members’ vote to join the Coalition to End Child Marriage.
- Our partners in the fight against child marriage, Unchained at Last and Tahirih Justice Center.
Survey – Ceremony Length
Updated September 27, 2022
During the summer of 2022, JPus surveyed the pros who perform weddings and asked, How long do you think a marriage ceremony should be? With the information gleaned from the survey, we developed two resources. First, we developed a member support article with professional guidance to support professional officiants. Then, we also shared findings in a blog article for couples on findaJP.com. The blog article also has selected officiant comments from the survey.
Related Links
- Check out the member support article for marriage officiants
- Read the blog article about survey length with selected comments from the survey
- See the Code of Ethics that JPus members abide by
- Learn more about membership with the Justice of the Peace Association
Khan Thanks Coalition to End Child Marriage
The Justice of the Peace Association is a founding member of the national Coalition to End Child Marriage. In addition, JPus is an active member of state coalitions with the same name.
Representative Kay Khan
We are grateful for Massachusetts State Representative Kay Khan ‘s leadership to end child marriage in the Commonwealth. Nonetheless, she thanks us! On May 31, 2022 she sent the following thanks and update to JPus and other Coalition members.
Dear Members of the Massachusetts Coalition to End Child Marriage,Please know that I am exceedingly grateful to all of you who helped create and support the legislation which became H.1709/S.937, An Act to End Child Marriage in Massachusetts, filed this session by myself, Representative Paul Donato and Senator Harriette Chandler.As you now know, as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 House Budget debate, H.1709 was filed as a budget amendment to the House Budget by House Minority Leader Bradley Jones and ultimately adopted.The response to this bill has been overwhelmingly positive with strong bipartisan support and I truly believe the monthly meetings of the coalition were instrumental in drawing attention to the need to move the bill forward and hopefully across the finish line soon.The final passage will be debated in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget House-Senate Conference Committee. If passed, the bill will close the loophole in Massachusetts allowing for child marriage with parental and judicial consent and will empower children in the Commonwealth.Thank you again, for your hard work and commitment to this important issue.Kay KhanState Representative
11th Middlesex District (Newton)
State House, Room 167
Boston, MA 02133617.722.2230
Related Links
- Follow this bill and Coalition efforts in Massachusetts
- Take JPus’ training for marriage officiants about child and forced marriage.
- Read about JPus’ efforts to end child marriage in all of the states we serve.
- Learn about JPus members’ vote to join the Coalition to End Child Marriage.
- See JPus managing member’s personal perspective on child marriage, posted on LinkedIn
- Peer-reviewed research demonstrating how child marriage is harmful
Politics of Child Marriage
JPus’ managing member, Loretta Jay, was interviewed about the politics that affect legislation to end child marriage. A visiting fellow from Turkey, Dr. Senem Ertan-Savas is the lead investigator of the study. She is with the Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School.
This research will systematically examine the dynamics of legislation to increase the age of marriage in different states. Furthermore, it will also investigate the debates around minimum age of marriage and the interaction between actors or factors involved in the legislation processes.
“It’s exciting that the Justice of the Peace Association’s advocacy efforts to end child marriage are recognized and included in this important research,” says Loretta Jay. One area Dr. Ertan-Savas asked about is the strategies JPus thinks are the most effective. (Answer: mobilizing constituents and behind the scenes work to resolve potential roadblocks.) Indeed, one of the most frustrating and sad realizations is when legislation to end child marriage stalls – even though there is no lobby opposing it.
When finished, the work will be submitted for publication in a scientific journal. Furthermore, a book is also in the works. Of course, JPus will share the published work when ready.
Related Links
- Read more about JPus’ advocacy to raise the minimum age to wed.
- Follow our state-by-state changes to marriage laws
- Education and training for officiants about child and forced marriage.
- How membership voted to join the Coalition to End Child Marriage.
- See JPus managing member’s personal perspective on child marriage, posted on LinkedIn
- Peer-reviewed research demonstrating how child marriage is harmful.
Member Support
Member Support for Members Only
There are many benefits to a membership with the Justice of the Peace Association. One of them is access to a robust Member Support section of the website with over 50 articles. Each one was written to help our members with knowledge and tips to enhance their services. For instance, topics range from performing ceremonies in a prison to professional liability insurance. From collecting payment from a couple to exploring your own implicit bias. And more.
These articles are available for members only. Thus, this means that to access the articles you must be logged into the JPus.org website.
Logging In to the JPus Website
To log into the Justice of the Peace Association website, members must click the login button at the top right corner of either findaJP.com or JPus.org. Then, enter your email and password.
Forgotten Password
If you forgot your password, simply click Lost Your Password on the login page. Enter the email address you use to log into JPus. Then, in the email sent to you, follow the prompts to reset your password.
- If you don’t see the email, please look in your spam folder. Then, after you are logged in, follow these instructions to add our email addresses to your safe senders list
- If you enter an incorrect password six times you will be locked out for one hour. Wait an hour, and then reset your password.
Related Links
- See JPus’ professional support articles
- JPus’ learning hub, JPus.Training