Out lawmaker epically slams Republican in just one sentence for calling minors “ripe, fertile”

A Republican lawmaker went viral for arguing in favor of child marriage by saying that underage teens are at a “ripe, fertile age.” And one of his LGBTQ+ colleagues had had enough of being called a “groomer” while Republicans defend child marriage.

The New Hampshire legislature is considering a bill, S.B. 359, which would prevent anyone under the age of 18 from getting married. State law used to allow girls as young as 13 and boys as young as 14 to get married, and ages for both were raised to 16 in 2018.

Related: Wyoming GOP defends child marriage while claiming it’s trans rights that harm children

Many conservatives say that kids are turning transgender due to “grooming,” but they’re fighting for a 40-year-old man’s right to marry a 12-year-old girl.

It was mostly Republicans in the state house who opposed the bill, and New Hampshire state Rep. Jess Edwards (R) made the case on the floor of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

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“If we continually restrict the freedom of marriage as a legitimate social option, when we do this to people who are a ripe, fertile age and may have a pregnancy and a baby involved, are we not in fact making abortion a much more desirable alternative, when marriage might be the right solution for some freedom-loving couples?” he said.

Online, he received backlash for his support of teen pregnancy and calling underage teens – and particularly girls – “ripe” and “fertile.” In the U.S., minor girls are more likely to be married than minor boys, according to the Pew Research Center. Unchained At Last – a group that advocates ending child marriage – says that most underage girls who are married are married to adult men. The group also notes that these girls can be wed to men but are still too young to access domestic violence shelters and get a divorce in many states.

Republican support for child marriage has come under increased scrutiny as conservatives started using slurs like “groomer” and accusations of child sex abuse against LGBTQ+ people, and one of Edwards’s colleagues had had enough.

“I’m tired of being called a groomer when Republicans are the ones fantasizing about ‘fertile’ teenagers and demanding legal child marriage,” said state Rep. Alissandra Murray (D), who is trans and nonbinary.

I’m tired of being called a groomer when Republicans are the ones fantasizing about “fertile” teenagers and demanding legal child marriage.

Anyway, they lost – once Sununu signs SB 359, child marriage will finally be illegal in the state of NH.

— Alissandra Murray (@alissandra4mht) May 2, 2024

some people seem to think I’m making this up, so here is video footage from session yesterday where Republican State Rep Jess Edwards advocated for chile marriage and discussed minors as being of “ripe and fertile age” pic.twitter.com/Z5UEubgcbR

— Alissandra Murray (@alissandra4mht) May 3, 2024

Other Republicans also spoke out against banning child marriage, including state Rep. Margaret Drye (R), who said that she knew some people who got married under the age of 16 due to an unplanned pregnancy. She lauded the child-parents for opting for marriage to provide “stability” for their baby.

State Rep. Tony Lekas (R), who is around 68 years old, said that he got married to his wife and current colleague, state Rep. Alicia Lekas (R), when he was 16.

“And we didn’t need any outside input from anyone,” Lekas said. “We’ve been married almost 53 years.” 

Another Republican, state Rep. Josh Yokela, tried to get amendments to the bill passed to allow emancipated teens to be able to get married.

“The fact of the matter is that emancipated minors cannot vote; they cannot purchase or consume tobacco or alcohol; they cannot purchase firearms,” state Rep. Pete Petrigno (D) countered. “Why then would we allow for an age exception to marriage and nothing else?” 

S.B. 359 passed the House by 192 to 174 votes. If Gov. Chris Sununu (R) signs it, New Hampshire will become the 12th state to ban child marriage without exceptions.

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