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Hey, baby — will you marry me?

Mistake in Arkansas law allows marriage at any age with parental consent

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updated 4:52 p.m. ET Aug. 17, 2007

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Thanks to one little misplaced word, it appears that people of any age can legally be married in Arkansas, with parental consent.

Lawmakers say a law passed this year would even allow infants to be married if their parents agree. And that may force the governor to call a special session to fix the mistake.

The bill's sponsor says the legislation was intended to establish 18 as the minimum age to marry — but also let pregnant teenagers marry with parental consent.

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An extraneous "not" in the bill, however, allows anyone who is not pregnant to marry at any age if the parents allow it.

A commission that fixes typographical and technical errors in laws had tried to correct the mistake, but a group of legislators argued that the commission went beyond its powers.

The Legislature is not scheduled to meet again until January — of 2009.

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