On May 13, Oklahoma became the 17th state in the country to ban child marriage after lawmakers approved Senate Bill 504, setting the minimum marriage age at 18, with no exceptions. The law was enacted without the signature of Republican Governor Kevin Stitt after the governor declined to take a position on the measure.
In response, American Atheists president Nick Fish released the following statement:
This is not only a tremendous victory for the committed advocates who have worked tirelessly to advance this issue in Oklahoma and throughout the United States, it is a victory for the countless minors who, until today, were at risk of being forced into these abusive, exploitative marriages.
The devastating effects of child marriage on these young people are crystal clear, and the stories of survivors are heartwrenching. This law come too late for the 3,500 minors, mostly girls wed to adult men, who were married in Oklahoma between 2000 and 2021, but it is a vital step toward ending child marriage in all 50 states.
I am grateful for the partnership of the team at Unchained at Last and the National Coalition to End Child Marriage and to the hard work of our members and volunteers in Oklahoma who fought so hard to get it done.
The bill was introduced in the State Senate by Sen. Warren Hamilton (R) and co-sponsored by Sen. Mark Mann (D) where it passed unanimously earlier this year. In the State House, the bill was sponsored by Rep. Nicole Miller (R) with Reps. Mickey Dollens (D), Michelle McCane (D), Jared Deck (D), Annie Menz (D), and Andy Fugate (D) cosponsoring. The bill passed 51-36 in the House, with bipartisan support.
SB 504 not only set the minimum age for marriage to 18, it also repealed all existing exceptions to Oklahoma’s marriage laws. Under prior law, 16- and 17- year olds could marry with parental consent and children under 16 could be married in cases of pregnancy. The new law closes those loopholes.
The law goes into effect on November 1, 2026.
