New Hampshire Republican arguing against raising marriage age to 18 says teen girls are 'ripe and fertile' and will have more abortions if they're not allowed to wed

A New Hampshire Republican has argued against raising the marriage age to 18 by saying teenage girls over 16 are 'ripe and fertile'. 

GOP Rep. Jess Edwards Jr added that he was concerned laws to protect minors from marriage might also make abortions more appealing to young women. 

The controversial comment sparked a chorus of gasps from Edwards' colleagues. They passed the bill to the next stage on Thursday despite his protestation. 

'Do you agree with the point of view that if we continually restrict the freedom of marriage as a legitimate social option, when we do this to people who are of a ripe fertile age, and may have 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?' Edwards said. 

Edwards assumed office as the representative for Rockingham 31 in December 2022, and his current term ends on December 4 this year.  

NH state Democrat Rep. Cassandra Levesque campaigned for the bill, which now awaits signing from governor Chris Sununu after gaining representatives' approval by a 192-174 vote. 

'I have sat with women and held their hands while they have shared their child marriage journey with me,' she wrote on X following the Thursday vote on her bill. 

'I've listened to their testimony. Please don't demean what they went through - be respectful. You have a right to your opinion, but the victims deserve respect too. 

'Many, many people have worked with me to fight to End Child Marriage in NH. We have worked for years, researching, learning, listening, and advocating. I will be forever grateful for them.' 

New Hampshire is the latest state to tackle child marriage laws. In most states, the minimum age is 16. 

Last month, Virginia became the 12th state to ban it without any exceptions. 

If New Hampshire's bill becomes law, the neighboring state of Maine will be the last remaining state in the northeast to allow marriage below the age of 18. 

The Pine Tree State currently allows teenagers aged 16 and older to marry with written consent from their parents or legal guardians. 

This could lead to New Hampshire teens crossing the border to marry - though the nuptials wouldn't be recognized in their home state. 

Delaware became the first state to ban marriage under the age of 18 in 2018. California, Mississippi, New Mexico and Oklahoma are the only states without a minimum marriage age.

Almost 300,000 children, some as young as 10, tied the knot in the US between 2000 and 2018, according to Unchained at Last, a nonprofit campaigning to end child marriage.

Unchained said most of these cases involved underage girls marrying adult men. 

The UN classes child marriage as a form of forced marriage because minors are not able to give informed consent.