A woman who was 11 when she was forced to marry her rapist has worked for six years to ban child marriages in Florida. On Friday, she was hailed as a hero after a bill was passed prohibiting marriage for anyone under 17.State lawmakers have repeatedly cited Sherry Johnson as an inspiration to change the law. She watched as the bill passed the House on a 109-1 vote, then stood as representatives turned to face her and applauded.“My heart is happy,” she said afterwards. “My goal was to protect our children and I feel like my mission has been accomplished. This is not about me. I survived.”The bill was a compromise between the House and Senate. The Senate originally passed a bill that banned the marriage of anyone under 18, but the House had wanted to carve out exceptions for some 16- and 17-year-olds when there’s a pregnancy. The new bill states that anyone marrying a 17-year-old can't be more than two years older and minors will need parental consent.The existing lawCurrently in Florida, 16- and 17-year-olds can marry with the consent of both sets of parents. If a pregnancy is involved, there’s no minimum age for marriage as long a judge approves. This is how Johnson came to marry the man who raped her when she was just a child.Johnson was 9 when she was raped by a church deacon, 10 when she gave birth and 11 when she married the man. Johnson said her church pressured her mother to consent to the marriage and a judge approved it. That was 47 years ago.She ended up giving birth to five more children with the man before breaking free from the marriage several years later. She wasn’t able to attend school and her experience led to a string of abusive relationships.While the soon-to-be law wouldn’t have prevented Johnson’s rape or pregnancy, she wouldn’t have been forced to marry, and she said it could have prevented her from years of abuse.“It would have changed my life by not allowing me to get married, to continue to have children, to continue to have my downfall,” she said. “I would have been a single mother and I think would have done well.”A legislative staff analysis showed that between 2012 and 2016, 1,828 marriage licenses were issued in Florida to couples when at least one party was a minor. That includes a 13-year-old, seven 14-year-olds and 29 15-year-olds.Supporters say changing the law will make sure no child is forced to marry a man who raped her, even if she becomes pregnant. For more on Johnson's story and information on current laws regarding child marriages, watch the video above.