Legal Question in Family Law in Indiana
New age of consent in South Carolina
My brother has been living in South Carolina with a girlfriend who is 15 years old. He is 22. Until recently the age of consent for a girl there has been 14 years old, but it recently changed to 16. He was not aware of the switch and the girl became pregnant after the change in law. He has been told to leave her or face legal trouble and wants to marry to avoid that. I was wondering if someone could tell me if he has a chance of that happening here in Indiana or in South Carolina and if so what steps should he take to attempt it? Sorry the question was so long.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: New age of consent in South Carolina
The threat of statutory rape is certainly serious. If the girl's parents are agreeable to the marriage, then it should not matter what state the marriage occurs in as most states provide for marriage of underage children particularly in the event of pregnancy. He should not leave the current state where they reside with her because someone may one to pursue kidnapping charges. He needs to see a lawyer where he resides.