Error in Ark. law allows toddlers to wed

[Tab]

Source: Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A law passed this year allows Arkansans of any age — even infants — to marry if their parents agree, and the governor may have to call a special session to fix the mistake, lawmakers said Friday.

The legislation was intended to establish 18 as the minimum age to marry but also allow pregnant teenagers to marry with parental consent, bill sponsor Rep. Will Bond said. An extraneous "not" in the bill, however, allows anyone who is not pregnant to marry at any age if the parents allow it.
...
The bill reads: "In order for a person who is younger than eighteen (18) years of age and who is not pregnant to obtain a marriage license, the person must provide the county clerk with evidence of parental consent to the marriage."

A code revision commission — which fixes typographical and technical errors in laws — had tried to correct the mistake, but a group of legislators said Friday the commission went beyond its powers.

"You're either pregnant or you're not pregnant," Sen. Dave Bisbee said. "Rarely will that be a typographical error."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070818/ap_on_re_us/marriage_age_arkansas

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The south never ceases to amaze me. :eyes:

[Coyote_Bandit]

1. I grew up in Arkansas

One of the girls that lived nearby got married with parental consent in the seventh grade. That would have made her what? Thirteen or fourteen? She married a military guy. They could not get married in Arkansas and had to travel to Kentucky as I recall. Girl is in her mid 40's now and last I heard she had been through as many husbands as Elizabeth Taylor.

[kanrok]

2. What makes you believe it was a mistake?

n/t

[jgraz]

3. Just so long as they're not GAY toddlers

Gotta love the south. :crazy:

[WindRavenX]

4. *snarf*

:D

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

5. The next Britney Spears can start early.......

God Bless America.

[Spinzonner]

6. They excluded Fetus's ?

Aren't they people too ?

[lurky]

7. Error my ass!!

All those Tom Thumb weddings are going to be binding now.

[DRoseDARs]

8. Well, Sen. Bisbee, in 1939 a Peruvian 5-yr-old successfully gave birth to a boy; he died in '79.

http://www.snopes.com/pregnant/medina.asp

So yes, Sen. Bisbee, let's make sure ALL preschoolers (and younger) that get knocked-up can get married as God intended.

[Endangered Specie]

9. I would blame it on Microsoft Word...

Ive had the 'auto-correct' "feature" turn many a perfectly good sentence into something totally off.

[Cobalt-60]

10. I don't think its a mistake

A typo like that in legislation is absolutely unacceptable.
We must presume at least some of the legislators read it before they signed.
I got to call bullshit on the typo story.
Maybe they're trying to imitate the Bible.
These Super Luddites are trying to regress all the way to the Bronze Age.

[tanyev]

11. Does the law allow family members to marry, too?