Missouri Republican defends 12-year-olds getting married

While debating legislation that bans gender-affirming care for minors, the bill’s sponsor Missouri state Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove) expressed his support for children as young as 12 years old getting married to each other.

When pressed by state Rep. Peter Meredith (D-St. Louis) about a different bill Moon voted against in the past, which would make it illegal for adults to marry children, Moon doubled down on his support for underage marriage.

“Do you know any kids who have been married at age 12? I do. And guess what? They’re still married,” Moon responded.

Last night, Missouri voted to ban care for trans youth and ban from sports to “protect kids.”

Later, the sponsor, Sen. Moon, was asked about a vote on child marriage.

He DEFENDED 12 year olds getting married, saying he knows some who are still married!pic.twitter.com/LFFICu4ecC

— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) April 12, 2023

Moon’s support for child marriage stretches back to 2018, when he referenced the same 12-year-old couple he knew when he voted against a bill that raised the marriage age.

The gender-affirming care ban, Senate Bill 49, passed in the Republican-controlled Assembly by a vote of 106-45, with just two Republicans voting against it alongside the outnumbered Democrats. The bill needs another House vote for it to move to the state Senate, which the Republicans also control by a 24-10 margin.

According to state Rep. Keri Ingle (D-Lee’s Summit), the Assembly will also debate House Bills 494 and 498 on Thursday, which aims to ban drag shows in public venues. They are similar to the new Tennessee drag ban.

Moon was elected as a state senator in 2021 and previously served in the Missouri Assembly from 2013 to 2021. While running his District 29 seat, Moon stated that “putting an end to abortion” was one of his top priorities for Missouri. He also supports eliminating corporate taxes and has introduced bills to limit sex education classes.