Roy Cooper's desk, probably this week, where it's likely to be signed into law. The legislation needs one more Senate vote before heading to Democratic Gov. The bill's proposed maximum age gap of four years partially mimics statutory rape laws that make it a serious felony for a minor to have sexual intercourse with someone who is significantly older. 'I believe this bill works to achieve those ends.' 'As a child psychiatrist, I am determined to protect our vulnerable youth, enhancing their chances for healthy, happy futures,' she said. Kristin Baker of Cabarrus County, who helped shepherd the bill through the House, explained that 'as a conservative Christian, I am a strong supporter of the sacrament of marriage.' Kristin Baker, a self-described 'conservative Christian' and child psychiatrist, helped shepherd the bill through the state House The state is currently one of 13 that allow children under 16 to wed, according to Unchained at Last, a nonprofit organization that advocates ending child and forced marriages in the U.S. 'North Carolina is one of the friendliest states in the South to give them safe haven,' he said. Reisinger said the county, which includes the popular tourist city of Asheville, is a destination for many adults and child brides from nearby states such as Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee - all of which have raised the minimum marriage age in recent years. Two-thirds of the marriage applications in Buncombe County last year were filed by nonresidents seeking to marry an underage person, Reisinger said, noting that a 49-year-old man and 17-year-old girl recently came from Kentucky seeking a license. 'We will have moved the needle and made North Carolina no longer at the very bottom of the barrel of states,' said Drew Reisinger, the register of deeds in Buncombe County, about the new bill.īut, he said, 'we're still going to be putting a lot of children in harm's way.'
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