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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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Saudis May Outlaw Under-18 Marriages

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(Newser) – The days of 8-year-olds getting married in Saudi Arabia may be numbered. Spurred by international hostility toward the marriage of a girl that age to a 50-year-old man, the nation is considering a ban on marriage for those under 18, Reuters reports. Such a restriction is “among the options that are available,” the Saudi justice minister said. “A girl below 18 is often not fit to take the family responsibility especially if she quickly gives birth.” Meanwhile, the 8-year-old girl in the celebrated case has been allowed to divorce.

Saudi children pose.
Saudi children pose.   (AP Photo)
A Saudi couple shops for a wedding dress in Riyadh.
A Saudi couple shops for a wedding dress in Riyadh.   (AP Photo)
A Saudi man, right, buys a wedding dress.
A Saudi man, right, buys a wedding dress.   (AP Photo)
A Saudi child wearing traditional clothes arrives at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque to offer Eid al-Fitr morning prayers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A Saudi child wearing traditional clothes arrives at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque to offer Eid al-Fitr morning prayers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.   (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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NutsInNY
May 2, 09 12:04 PM CDT
Damn liberals! Reply
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SPH
May 2, 09 4:26 PM CDT
Then again they might not change anything.... Reply
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