Topeka ? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Friday called for a new law that would prohibit anyone younger than 16 from getting married in Kansas.

The proposal was prompted by an incident this summer where a pregnant 14-year-old Nebraska girl came across state lines into Kansas to marry her 22-year-old boyfriend. The man was later charged in Nebraska with sexual assault.

“The fact that criminals have used marriage to conceal their abuse is appalling. We must take action to stop this abuse,” Sebelius said.

It’s normally a crime to have sex with someone younger than 16 in Kansas, but the laws don’t apply if the parties are married.

Kansas law says that before children younger than 18 may marry, they must have consent of a father, mother or legal guardian and consent of a judge. But if all parents or legal guardians of the child give their consent, the judge’s consent isn’t required.

There were 15 marriages of individuals younger than 16 in 2004, according to state figures.

“It should be against the law for any Kansan younger than 16 to marry,” Sebelius said. “And we must continue to require parental or judicial consent for anyone 16 or 17 years old to marry.”

Sebelius said she wanted an interim judiciary committee to take up the topic next month so that legislation could be approved quickly when the 2006 session starts in January.

But the chairman of that committee, state Sen. John Vratil, R-Leawood, said the panel had no time to consider the bill. He said the proposal wouldn’t require a lot of work and could easily pass once the session starts.

“An interim study is not necessary,” he said.