• queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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        16 hours ago

        And wouldn’t you know it? The same states where child marriage is legal are also states where marital rape is treated as legally distinct from non-marital rape. In Iowa, for example, subsection (2) of article 709.4 Sexual abuse in third degree, excludes sexual acts committed by adults with children as young as 12, provided the parties are “cohabiting as husband and wife.”

        • saltesc@lemmy.world
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          16 hours ago

          God damn, not even the Vatican has laws like that now. Their age of consent went from 12 to 18 recently. I believe the marriage exception got raised to 14, which is still kind of wild, but not Iowa levels. Many of those laws are in place for, and exceptional to, accomodating marriages that occured in a culture where it is acceptable but the marriage is obviously no longer in that country/culture.

          For those that consider marriage “a thing” these laws are intended to balance the respect of marriage and respect the immaturity of a young mind and body. For those, like me, that recognise there is literally no purpose for marriage, they’re entirely insane laws to go that low.