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TO AMEND SECTION 20-1-300, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO THE RIGHT OF CERTAIN MINORS TO BE ISSUED A MARRIAGE LICENSE, SO AS TO ALLOW ISSUANCE OF A MARRIAGE LICENSE IN THE CASE OF A PREGNANCY OR THE BIRTH OF A CHILD WHEN THE MINOR PARENTS ARE NOT YOUNGER THAN SIXTEEN YEARS OF AGE, WITH EXCEPTIONS.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 20-1-300 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"Section 20-1-300. Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 20-1-250 to 20-1-290, a marriage license may be issued to an unmarried female and male under the age of eighteen years who are not younger than sixteen years of age and who could otherwise enter into a marital contract, if such female be pregnant or has borne a child, under the following conditions:
(a) the fact of pregnancy or birth is established by the report or certificate of at least one duly licensed physician;
(b) she and the putative father agree to marry;
(c) written consent to the marriage is given by one of the parents of the female, or by a person standing in loco parentis, such as her guardian or the person with whom she resides, or, in the event of no such qualified person, with the consent of the superintendent of the department of social services of the county in which either party resides;
(d) without regard to the age of the female and male; and
(e) without any requirement for any further consent to the marriage of the male."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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