That's not an accurate representation of West Virginia law.

The age of consent for marriage is 18. A marriage license may be given to a person at least 16 years old given consent from their legal guardian and that the person they are marrying is no more than 4 years older than them. [1]

But yes, until 2023 there was no age requirement as long as their legal guardian consented. [2]

Your issue raised here really boils down to whether its okay for parents to determine what is best for their child or if the state needs to decide that.

[1] https://code.wvlegislature.gov/48-2-301/ [2] https://theamm.org/articles/1625-west-virginia-updates-age-r...