It's alarming and deeply unsettling to think that in a country as advanced as ours, child marriage remains legal in the vast majority of states. This not only undermines the progress we've made in areas like education and gender equality, but also exposes vulnerable children to myriad potential abuses. Every state permitting child marriage is, in effect, endorsing a system that often disproportionately affects young girls and can lead to lifelong consequences. It's high time we re-evaluate our legislative priorities and protect the rights of children uniformly across the nation. The title says it all: we should never be 'down with this sickness'.