JEFFERSON CITY 鈥 Missouri Sen. Mike Moon defended himself Thursday after his comments earlier in the week appeared to support the marriage of 12-year-olds.
鈥淚 do not support adults marrying children,鈥 Moon told the Post-Dispatch on Thursday. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 preposterous to even think that I do.鈥
鈥淚 do not support child rape,鈥 he added.
Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove
Moon, a Republican from the rural community of Ash Grove, northwest of Springfield, is a sponsor of a bill restricting transgender care for children. On Tuesday, he appeared for debate in a House committee on the legislation.
There, Rep. Peter Merideth, a Democrat from 最新杏吧原创, blasted Moon for his stance on abortion and contraception, among other things. And Merideth pointed out that Moon opposed a 2018 bill setting the state鈥檚 minimum marriage age at 15.
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鈥淚鈥檝e heard you talk about parents鈥 rights to raise their kids how they want,鈥 Merideth said. 鈥淵ou voted 鈥榥o鈥 on making it illegal for kids to be married to adults at the age of 12 if their parents consented to it.鈥
Moon responded:
鈥淒o you know any kids who have been married at age 12?鈥 Moon said. 鈥淚 do. And guess what? They鈥檙e still married.鈥
A clip of the Tuesday night exchange took off on social media on Wednesday, with critics asserting Moon supported adults marrying 12-year-olds.
Missouri Sen. Mike Moon explains his support for child marriage in the context of a couple he knows who married at 11- and 12-years-old when the child became pregnant. Video provided by the Missouri Senate
Moon said he wasn鈥檛 given enough time to explain his vote. He said that with the video clip of the hearing, people have been able to 鈥渇ill in the gaps with whatever they want.鈥
鈥淔or Peter Merideth or anyone to attempt to frame me as a pedophile or someone who would condone rape, they鈥檙e out of their minds,鈥 Moon said.
Moon said the example he was referring to is a couple he has known for about 40 years.
鈥淭he young man was 12; the girl was 11,鈥 he said. 鈥淭heir parents allowed them to marry. There was no forcing in the situation. But the parents wisely took the boy to their home, and the girls鈥 parents took her to their home.
鈥淓ventually a child was born to the girl, and then years later, when they were able to support themselves and they were more mature, they were able to begin living together, and still living together today,鈥 Moon said, adding the 2018 legislation would鈥檝e made that type of marriage illegal.
Missouri legislators ultimately approved legislation that year setting a minimum marriage age of 16. Minors need a parent or guardian to sign off on the marriage.
The new law also specifies anyone 21 and older is unable to marry anyone younger than 18.
Missouri had been among a majority of states with no technical age limit for marriage.
Previously, minors could marry at 15 with a parent鈥檚 consent and, alternatively, could seek a court order at any age to receive a license.
Moon was a version of the legislation setting the minimum marriage age at 15. The legislation also sought to prohibit individuals 21 and older from marrying individuals younger than 17.
Moon, then a state representative, appeared to reference the anecdote during debate in 2018 on the bill.
鈥淚nstead of running down to the abortion clinic, they allowed these 12-year-olds to marry,鈥 Moon said. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 allow the parents to have some say, we鈥檙e actually as a state removing a fundamental right from the mom and dad.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a parent鈥檚 decision to make; it鈥檚 their right to make that choice,鈥 Moon said.
Missouri鈥檚 loose regulations meant that the state had one of the highest rates of child marriage in the country, according to the Tahirih Justice Center. The center counted 7,342 minors who were married in Missouri between 2000 and 2014.
Eighty-five percent of those were girls, according to the group.
The legislation is .
Missouri Sen. Mike Moon explains his support for child marriage in the context of a couple he knows who married at 11- and 12-years-old when the child became pregnant. Video provided by the Missouri Senate
