Rada backs away from lowering marriage age to 14
Ruslan Stefanchuk listened to the public. Photo: Parliament
Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk reported that a provision has been excluded from the draft Family Code that would have allowed, by court decision, marriage from the age of 14 in cases of childbirth or pregnancy.
He explained that the clause envisaged the possibility of concluding a marriage solely by a court ruling if a person who had reached the age of 14 had given birth to a child – or was pregnant. According to the Speaker, the norm was intended as a protective measure – to safeguard the interests of the newborn child.
“However, the working group sees that society perceives this norm ambiguously. Therefore, we made the decision – as a result of discussions – to exclude this norm from the draft and to keep the current one,” Stefanchuk said.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Rada had proposed allowing marriage from 14 in the event of pregnancy.
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