As the 2026 legislative session prepares to begin next week, one lawmaker is set to introduce a bill that would end marriage for minors in the state.
Across the U.S., there is no federal ban on child marriage, leaving the issue to individual states. Sixteen states and Washington, D.C., have enacted laws prohibiting marriage under 18. Indiana is not among them—but State Rep. Mitch Gore (D–District 89) hopes to change that.
“They can’t drive. They can’t open a checking account, but we’re going to allow them to take on something as serious as marriage?” Gore said as he announced plans to file the Ban Marriage for Minors bill. “If we’ve decided on an age of majority, and it’s 18, why wouldn’t that apply to marriage?”
Under current Indiana law, passed in 2020, the minimum age for marriage is 16. Individuals who are 16 or 17 may marry only with a court order, and their partner can be no more than four years older. That legislation was authored by State Rep. Karen Engleman (R–District 70) and signed by then-Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Gore believes the law doesn’t go far enough, pointing to cases that highlight the vulnerability of minors, particularly in abusive or exploitative circumstances. He noted increased public awareness of child exploitation cases, including those connected to the late Jeffrey Epstein.
“I think our national conscience is coming to the fore. People are realizing what’s right for kids in these circumstances,” Gore said. “If it helps advance the bill, maybe that’s a small positive out of an absolutely terrible situation.”
Gore said he hopes for bipartisan support in the upcoming session.
At the federal level, Congress has also attempted to restrict child marriage through the Child Marriage Prevention Act, introduced last year in the U.S. Senate. However, the proposal has yet to receive a hearing.