The United States has introduced legislation that would force 18-year-old women to register for the military draft. The law, which was an amendment to the federal defense budget, would require all American women between the ages of 18 to 25 to be ready and willing to fight in future wars. Needless to say, this idea hasn’t been met with much enthusiasm.
It’s one thing to allow American women to choose this service, but it’s quite another to force it upon our daughters, sisters, and wives. Missourians feel strongly that compelling women to fight our wars is wrong and so do I
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 23, 2021
- To be fair, there hasn’t been a draft in the US since the Vietnam War. Not only that, but senior officials in the White House aren’t too jazzed about the idea of reintroducing one since, you know, forcing someone to go sacrifice their lives for a “war” that’s likely about greed and power between politicians isn’t great.
- However, Republicans are all about forcing people into military service. The Senate National Defense Authorization Act was approved last week by the Senate Armed Services Committee and saw the word “male” dropped from the 1948 Military Selective Service Act. Only five Republican senators voted against the measure. At the moment, all men still have to register for the Military Selective Service System and if they refuse, they don’t get financial aid for college, among a host of other penalties.
- Not everyone is against the idea of women being drafted. In fact, Ria Tabacco Mar, the director of women’s rights at the ACLU, said: “The requirement that only men, but not women, register for the draft is one of the last examples of overt sex discrimination written into our federal law. Like many laws that appear to benefit women, men-only registration actually impedes women’s full participation in civic life. It reflects an outmoded view that, in the event of a draft, women’s primary duty would be to the home front.” How about NO ONE should be forced to go to war?
- Lest we forget, the military is a particularly dangerous place for women. While there are some incredible women who go into service for their country and do a damn good job at it, the fact still remains that women are sexually, physically, and verbally assaulted by male colleagues in the military at insane levels. Not only that, but they’re more likely to be assaulted by another soldier than they are to be killed in war. Let that sink in.
This is it for me. This is a litmus test. Fight this nonsense or we are not on the same team. Abolish the draft if you want… but draft my daughter you will not. #DontDraftDaughters https://t.co/PrCneq3VtW
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) July 23, 2021
Our military has welcomed women for decades and are stronger for it. But America’s daughters shouldn’t be drafted against their will. I opposed this amendment in committee, and I’ll work to remove it before the defense bill passes.
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) July 23, 2021
idk when/if the draft will ever be utilized again but this feels like a good time to remember that women in the US military are more likely to be assaulted by a fellow soldier than killed by an enemy combatant https://t.co/IvuRD8VZqW
— sam (@______sam_) July 23, 2021
