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From: Ryan Kennedy (email him)
Re: James Fulford's blog: Lake Placid, New York: Hispanic (?) Family Tries To Get A Marriage License For Thirteen Year Old Daughter
"But this seems like a culture clash story–the age of consent in New York State is 17, and teenagers can get married with their parents' consent–but not if they're thirteen."
I think you're right. I remember reading a story about this a while back. It's really bad in California. Their age of consent is 18, so what happens a lot is that the happy couple is less than discreet about the fact that the father is in his 20s and she's 16 or whatever. Next thing you know he's off to jail with and a new life-long identity as a sex offender (they have to register and it can never be removed from your record).
Ryan Kennedy (email him) has written us many letters. He lives in Anchorage, Alaska.
James Fulford writes: The culture clash should affect immigration policy—if the State Department were doing its job, it would be thinking about what kind of immigrants America gets from which countries, and discouraging incompatible countries from sending immigrants. That would be good for both America, and the immigrants who would be free to get married at fourteen in their home countries if they wanted. In fact, the State Department does exactly the opposite, with the Diversity Visa.
I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that I had the wrong Lake Placid in the headline, the story is from the Lake Placid in Florida, which is now 30 percent Hispanic. See Pregnant teen story goes viral, By Brad Dickerson, Highlands Today, August 3, 2010, which reports: "The arrest brings to light a cultural difference between Mexico and the United States.[Lake Placid Police Cpl. Eddie] San Miguel said the girl's mother told him that she got married at the age of 14 while living in Mexico."
