Efforts to reform Ohio’s child marriage laws, which currently allow children of any age to marry if they obtain parental and judicial consent, could get tangled up in politics over gay marriage, lawmakers say.

A Dayton Daily News investigation detailed more than 4,400 girls under 18 married in Ohio over the past 15 years, including 59 girls who were 15 or younger. State law sets the marriage age without judicial consent at 16 for girls and 18 for males.

State Rep. Jeff Rezabek, R-Clayton, plans to introduce a bill in early December to address Ohio’s laws that allow children of any age to marry as long as they have parental and judicial consent.

Ohio lawmaker wants to limit child marriage – Dayton Daily News