Posted on Jul 15, 2015
Should young women be required to register for the draft?
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"Elizabeth Kyle doesn't consider herself an activist, but she has something she wants to tell the federal government: It's not fair that young men are required to register for the draft, but women are not.
To that end, Kyle and her mother, Allison, of Parsippany, filed a federal lawsuit this month demanding equality. Either have the U.S. Selective Service System require young women to register, or make it voluntary for both sexes, the lawsuit demands.
Elizabeth Kyle, who graduated from high school last month, learned of this disparate treatment when she saw friends who turned 18 were not allowed to proceed on the online registration form when they clicked "female" on the gender identification question.
Under current law, virtually all males 18-25 in the United States must register for the draft, although the draft itself has been mothballed since 1973. Women can enlist, but they cannot register for the draft.
Now that the Pentagon has rolled back most rules excluding women from combat roles, there's no reason young women 18-25 should not be required to register, the Kyles' lawsuit says.
Congress would have to rewrite the law to require women to register for the draft. U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, (D-N.Y.) filed just such a measure in March. The bill was referred to the House Armed Services Committee.
What do you think?
Should women be required to register for the draft?"
To that end, Kyle and her mother, Allison, of Parsippany, filed a federal lawsuit this month demanding equality. Either have the U.S. Selective Service System require young women to register, or make it voluntary for both sexes, the lawsuit demands.
Elizabeth Kyle, who graduated from high school last month, learned of this disparate treatment when she saw friends who turned 18 were not allowed to proceed on the online registration form when they clicked "female" on the gender identification question.
Under current law, virtually all males 18-25 in the United States must register for the draft, although the draft itself has been mothballed since 1973. Women can enlist, but they cannot register for the draft.
Now that the Pentagon has rolled back most rules excluding women from combat roles, there's no reason young women 18-25 should not be required to register, the Kyles' lawsuit says.
Congress would have to rewrite the law to require women to register for the draft. U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, (D-N.Y.) filed just such a measure in March. The bill was referred to the House Armed Services Committee.
What do you think?
Should women be required to register for the draft?"
Equality
Gender
Women in the Military
Posted >1 y ago
This is a duplicate discussion. Click below to see more on this topic.
With the fight for equality in the military and the recent decision by the Army to open combat arms MOS's to women in the Army, being so much in the news and discussion, do you think that women of the required Selective Service age group should be made to register as their male counterparts are?
Responses: 27
Several others have touched on it, but at the current moment in time, females cannot fill all combat roles which are principally what the draft would fill if enacted. My thoughts on this are complicated but I will try to not be vague:
1) Women should be ALLOWED to register if they want to. Not even allowing them to register is an odd restriction separate from that of requiring them to do so. I understand that the "lottery" if enacted would then have to differentiate between females and males, but let's be honest this is not a difficulty of any real merit.
2) Females should be required to register IF males are required to register. I intentionally separate this because the need for selective service is a different topic entirely, but also a relevant one for addressing. I believe that females should be required if males are required to register for selective service, in the name of equality, etc. Their skills and talents are just as useful as mine.
3) Selective service should change. Someone else already mentioned it, but I believe EVERYONE should serve in public service (not necessarily military) for some period of time. Call it 2 years, 3 years, 1 year, or 5. The time length doesn't particularly matter. This will lower the number of unemployed high school and college graduates, increase skills among our potential workforce, give a better appreciation for civil service and military jobs to the country as a whole, and open the possibility of staying in those jobs for those who fit and enjoy it. I see very few negatives to this, but I am open to what they might be. The one I do see is that by requiring everyone to serve we will end up with some who really shouldn't be in any position of responsibility. Before you jump on me for that one, be honest with yourself, these people do exist.
4) Selective service should exist. Yes we have not had a reason for it recently, but being prepared for the eventuality of a major war helps to mitigate the chances of one.
1) Women should be ALLOWED to register if they want to. Not even allowing them to register is an odd restriction separate from that of requiring them to do so. I understand that the "lottery" if enacted would then have to differentiate between females and males, but let's be honest this is not a difficulty of any real merit.
2) Females should be required to register IF males are required to register. I intentionally separate this because the need for selective service is a different topic entirely, but also a relevant one for addressing. I believe that females should be required if males are required to register for selective service, in the name of equality, etc. Their skills and talents are just as useful as mine.
3) Selective service should change. Someone else already mentioned it, but I believe EVERYONE should serve in public service (not necessarily military) for some period of time. Call it 2 years, 3 years, 1 year, or 5. The time length doesn't particularly matter. This will lower the number of unemployed high school and college graduates, increase skills among our potential workforce, give a better appreciation for civil service and military jobs to the country as a whole, and open the possibility of staying in those jobs for those who fit and enjoy it. I see very few negatives to this, but I am open to what they might be. The one I do see is that by requiring everyone to serve we will end up with some who really shouldn't be in any position of responsibility. Before you jump on me for that one, be honest with yourself, these people do exist.
4) Selective service should exist. Yes we have not had a reason for it recently, but being prepared for the eventuality of a major war helps to mitigate the chances of one.
Yes, things are equalizing on every front. The less pleasant fronts should equalize too.
SSG (Join to see)
The way I see it is if they want to have the same rights and jobs, then yes they should be required to register. There is no difference in todays military. Single mothers and single fathers. No difference for service.
If there is a nationwide draft again, women either are required by law to register or they are NOT allowed to join voluntarily. Equality MEANS equality. Women are playing both crucial and mundane roles in today's All Volunteer Military, as are the men who work alongside them. Saying that one doesn't have to register because of gender, yet another does because of a different gender, is not congruent with today's social norms. That said, I am very appreciative that I served in a much earlier version of our armed forces.
Maybe I'm "old skool" - and chivalrous - but I definitely don't think women should have to register for the draft.
WO1 (Join to see)
LTC Jason Strickland I understand that opinion sir, but think either we all register, or none of us.
LTC Jason Strickland
WO1 (Join to see) - okay to disagree on this one. I'm pretty sure I'll be in the minority.
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