Political Quotes

“I also rise today to announce the next Granite Stater of the Month, a young woman who is well known among people in the New Hampshire State House and across the Granite State. Cassandra Levesque, an 18-year-old from Barrington, is an advocate at the forefront of an important fight: outlawing the practice of child marriage in New Hampshire and across the country. Last year, after learning that child brides face a higher likelihood of domestic violence and divorce and a lower chance of professional success, Cassandra set out to close the legal loopholes that allow children as young as 13 to wed in New Hampshire. As she took on this fight, she heard stories of women in her community who had been abused by their spouses after being married as minors. Cassandra bravely shared the story of her own grandmother and great-grandmother, both of whom were married as young teenagers and were subsequently abused by their husbands. With encouragement and support from her Girl Scout community and with the help of a State representative, Cassandra got a bill introduced in the legislature that would have closed the loopholes that would allow childhood marriages to occur. She testified during a hearing on the bill, closely followed debate on the bill in the full house of representatives, and spoke out in the media to explain why the legislation was so important.…”