COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Ohio judge allowed a pregnant 17-year-old to get married without her parents' consent after the bride-to-be said she could be forced to have an abortion if she stayed at home.
The Columbus Dispatch reports the couple, who each turn 18 in a few months, got married Tuesday after a hearing.
Ohio law requires parents to sign off on the marriage of anyone younger than 18, but judges can waive the requirement. The bride's mother says she's outraged the judge did so without hearing from her or her husband. She also denies pushing her daughter toward abortion.
The groom's father tells The Dispatch that his daughter-in-law felt that she in was an unsafe environment.
The Franklin County judge involved, Alan Acker, didn't immediately respond to an e-mail sent Saturday.
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