The Oklahoma House on Monday scrapped legislation to limit minors from getting married.



Previous research shows Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of teen marriages.



In Oklahoma, teenagers ages 16 and older can get married with consent from a parent or legal guardian or consent from a court. Those younger than 16 can only get married if a court approves.



But legislation from Rep. Jason Dunnington, D-Oklahoma City, would have prohibited minors under age 16 from getting married. Under House Bill 3873, minors ages 16 and 17 seeking to get married would first have to get emancipated, which would have to be approved by a court.



On the House floor, Dunnington told the story of a 16-year-old Oklahoma girl who said her parents forced her to get married to an abusive man because she was pregnant. He did not name the girl.



"The way our child marriage laws are written right now, it doesn't give the child that's getting married much say in the decision," he said. He characterized his bill as "common sense" legislation.



But numerous Republican lawmakers expressed concerns that the legislation would take parental input out of the situation.



Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, said child marriages are typically reserved for "unusual exceptions that historically have been taken care of within the family." The situation typically turns out better when parents have more input, he said.



"Overall, the great majority of parents are going to do things that are good for their children," Olsen said.



A 2017 Pew Research Center report analyzing 2014 marriage data showed Oklahoma ranked No. 4 in the nation among teen marriage rates. Finding more recent data on the number of Oklahoma minors getting married can be difficult because the data is kept on a county-by-county basis, Dunnington said. He estimated there were about 2,000 child marriages in Oklahoma over the past five years.



HB 3873 failed on a vote of 60-35. Dunnington said he plans to try and revive the measure later this week. He originally sought to prohibit all minors from getting married, but amended his legislation in what he saw as a compromise.