Chasing the Chaste

Now that same-sex marriage is permissible in Massachusetts, I think chicken hawks who want to wed their kiddies may fall under CHAPTER 272. CRIMES AGAINST CHASTITY, MORALITY, DECENCY AND GOOD ORDER. It reads:

Section 1 Enticing away person under 16 for marriage

Whoever fraudulently and deceitfully entices or takes away an unmarried person under sixteen from the house of such person's parents or elsewhere, without the consent of the parent or guardian, if any, under whose care and custody such person is living, for the purpose of effecting a clandestine marriage of such person without the consent of such parent or guardian, shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or both.

If your pubescent love object is pregnant or has the parents' permission and a judge's approval, you may still be able to marry him or her. However, being a sneak and snatching a child for marriage is out of bounds here and has been for a long time.

The locals can laugh about the hillbillies and the Jerry Lee Lewises of the world, but that law is on the books for good reason — and based in experience here.