By snoadmin
With women officially allowed to take on combat roles in times of war, the next issue to be addressed is whether women should also be included in the Selective Service – namely, the draft.
At age 18, every male in the U.S. must sign up for the Selective Service. While it has been discussed many times before, women have never been required to sign up for the draft. However, with this change to the women-in-combat policy, we open the doors for women to be involved in the draft equation.
As an editorial board, we had a hard time coming to an agreement on this controversial issue. A majority of us agreed that women should be included in the draft, though we also recognized that complications would come with the suggestion.
Right now, signing up for the draft is more of a gesture than anything else. While there is always a chance that the draft could be put into effect, today’s wars are not fought in the same way that past wars were. Unless there is a World War III, then signing up for the draft is essentially just filling out some paperwork. No sweat.
If men must make this gesture when they come of age, then why shouldn’t women?
If women were, hypothetically, required to register for the draft, they would have to pass tests and combat training like men do.
Women wouldn’t be placed on the front lines if they were not physically capable of battle. Still, there are plenty of women out there who could pass these tests.
However, if women were included in the Selective Service, what would happen when husband and wife are both called to war? What would happen to their children? There are rules that bar both parents, who are currently military personnel, from being deployed at the same time. The family would have to decide who would be better to stay behind and watch the kids, which traditionally would be the mother.
Also, we would have to ask ourselves, as a nation, are we comfortable with registering women in the draft? A women-inclusive draft would mean our mothers, wives, sisters, girlfriends and daughters would all be eligible to have their name drawn for deployment. Is this something our nation is ready for?
If women are included in the draft, it would be another step towards tearing down the gender roles that still stand in this country.
Maybe a compromise could be made: women would be drafted only when we do not have enough men to supply the needs of war. Our population is big as it is, so it would take a massive war for this ever to happen.
