5/14/2026
By Michele Hanash, Director of Policy and Women’s Programs
Yesterday, Oklahoma became the 17th state in the nation to ban child marriage when Governor Kevin Stitt allowed SB504 to become law.
This is a significant victory for children’s rights. Oklahoma has eliminated one of the country’s most egregious child marriage loopholes. Under the previous law, children as young as 15—or even younger, with no minimum age specified if they were pregnant or to settle paternity or “seduction” suits—could be forced into marriage. Additionally, a single parent or guardian could enter a 16- or 17-year-old minor into marriage. Oklahoma was one of only four states with this harmful pregnancy exception.
The new law sets a clear minimum marriage age of 18 with no exceptions. This strengthens protections for minors and ensures they cannot be forced to marry their abusers.
AHA Foundation engaged in direct outreach with Oklahoma legislators, providing written support and policy memos during the legislative process. We were proud to advocate alongside our allies in Oklahoma to end this human rights abuse.
This is an important milestone–with Oklahoma one third of the country has now banned child marriage. But we can’t forget that 33 states still allow child marriage. We will not stop until every girl in America is protected from this exploitation.