Error in Arkansas Marriage Law Language

According to the current Arkansas law on marriage, anyone can wed, no matter their age. Who knows how many parental signatures will emerge giving away unruly children before the law is corrected.

According to CBS News, the legal literature reads "In order for a person who is younger than eighteen (18) years of age and who is not pregnant to obtain a marriage license, the person must provide the county clerk with evidence of parental consent to the marriage." The law's intention was to change the legal marrying age from 16 to 18, while freeing up the law's choke hold on those younger, pregnant, and wishing to play house. However, the intention to this seemingly simple exception has become a catastrophic boo boo with potential astronomical proportions; and happy days for pedophiles. The additional 'not' is the source of the legislative erosion, dwindling the law down to allowing "Arkansans of any age - even infants - to marry if their parents agree" according to the Arkansas News. Arkansas senator Sue Madison has asked for a special session to be held long before the Jan 2009 reconvening. Madison is "concerned about pedophiles coming to Arkansas to find parents who are willing to sign a very young child's consent." It wasn’t until county clerks raised eyebrows as to what the law was trying to say in regards to the allowable legal age. An opinion from the Attorney General to better clarify was also handed down before the erroneous 'not' became a rampant issue. To clear up the blunder and save Arkansas from yet another bad laugh at the state's expense, the wording was changed by a code revision team; a committee established to fix errors in the language of laws, until it was decided that erasing the rogue word would in affect, change the dynamics of the law completely. The Legislative body has asked for the correction to be uncorrected. Democrat sponsor Will Bond says "the legislation was screwed up", and as it stands, any attempt to change the faux pas won't happen until Arkansas law makers reconvene in January of 2009 unless the special session is granted. Since Arkansas left their session in May with indecisiveness on most of the other pressing issues, it is unlikely that they'll reconvene for this blunder and the law will ride until 2009. Who knows how many parental signatures will emerge giving away unruly children before the law is corrected.