Results: Republicans Defeated Bill to Ban Child Marriage in West Virginia

The bill's primary sponsor was Kayla Young, a Democrat, of Kanawha County. Young took to Twitter to address the current situation: "For now, there will be no floor for the age of marriage in WV, endangering our kids." The committee voted on Woman's Day, as Democratic Senator Mike Woelfel reminded the committee members after they voted. However, some argued that the bill would go against traditions in West Virginia. Do you agree with this tradition of child brides?

Kanawha County Republican Senator Mike Stuart, who is a former federal prosecutor, sided with the majority and said his vote "wasn't a vote against women." He added that his mother was married when she was 16, and "six months later, I came along. I'm the luckiest guy in the world." The proposed bill would raise the legal marrying age to 18. Do you agree with this bill that would have raised the legal age of marriage to 18 in West Virginia?

Reddit users were furious, as one wrote, "Sure, it's not a vote against women. Because it's a vote against girls." Another shared, "We have to protect our children from pedophiles, so that we can marry them!" Do you agree with these Reddit commenters?

One Reddit user wrote a painful reminder of their family's ordeals: "My great-grandmother had to petition the court to treat her as an adult to divorce my great-grandfather – she was 17, he was 38 by that time. He married her when he was 36, and she was barely 16. This was in Arkansas-Missouri in about 1906. It's shameful that it happened then, but it's far more shameful that it is still happening today, 117 years later." Do you agree?