end child marriage ma | Friends, I know many of you are anxious about the future of

Friends, I know many of you are anxious about the future of this Bill, especially the survivors and relatives of survivors who bravely came forward and testified.

Know this the House session does not end until December 31st. This fight may be tiring, you may have grown wary and like many out there you may be experiencing a host of emotions with the passing of a legal luminary Giant & an American Icon, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

To her family, friends and to the nation we express our deepest & heartfelt sympathies.

Whether you know of her or not & regardless of your politics, if there is only one thing, we can all agree with her on, is the concept of "equal citizenship" stemming from the equal protection clause of the Constitution of the United States- she pioneered the idea that men and women should be treated equally in all aspects of society & should not face discrimination on the basis of their sex.

We all know laws which permit #childmarriage offends this very provision of the Constitution as it is a harmful practice which predominantly affects girls. UNICEF calls marriage below age 18, a violation of the rights of the child & believes it should be prohibited in all circumstances.

To those amongst us who are tired, scared, angry, wary and/or frustrated know this too- in the last years of her life #RBG who initially wanted to retire, stayed on. For her, the stakes were too high, so amid battling cancer, broken ribs, chemotherapy & other challenges #RBG fought for #Equality to the very end not for herself but for all people.

If it's one takeaway you get from this, let it be this, let nothing stop you from fighting for this cause. As #RBG herself said famously "Fight for the things you care about.."

So what are our asks going forward?

1. Never underestimate the power of your voice voice to make a difference in the life a child;

2. The House Ways and Means Committee releases the Bill quickly (#S2294 An Act to end Child Marriage in Massachusetts) to the full House for a Vote;

3. The House prioritizes & passes Bill #S2294 without amendments;

4. Governor Baker signs the Bill into law-
Paving the way for #Massachusetts to become the 5th State in US History to ban #childmarriage amid a global pandemic proving that protecting children's rights especially #girls & #equality are on the frontline of their legislative agenda.

#EndChildMarriage #18noexception #ForEveryChild #Liberty #Equality #Justice #mapoli