‘It Is Wrong to Force Our Daughters’ into War: GOP Sen. to Oppose Dems on Female Draft
A Republican senator from Missouri says he will introduce an amendment this week that would block a Democratic-led effort to force young women to register for the military draft.
Under current law, men must register with the Selective Service System upon reaching the age of 18. Selective Service keeps a list of all men ages 18-25 eligible for the draft.
But this summer, the Democratic-controlled Senate Armed Services Committee approved a bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, that included language requiring women to also register with Selective Service. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), chairman of the committee, helped lead the effort to add the controversial language.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said on Monday that he will introduce an amendment this week to the defense bill to remove the language requiring women to register.
“It is wrong to force our daughters, mothers, wives, and sisters to fight our wars,” Hawley said. “Our country is extremely grateful for the brave women who have volunteered to serve our country with and alongside our fighting forces. They have played a vital role in defending America at every point in our nation’s history. But volunteering for military service is not the same as being forced into it, and no woman should be compelled to do so.”
Concerned Women for America is urging senators to support Hawley’s amendment. In a fact sheet on the issue, CWA said, “enduring differences between the sexes have everything to do with military readiness and national security in wartime.”
“Our daughters should not be forced to register for the draft to prove they are equal, and our military should not be forced to compromise its focus on our national security to placate liberal activists who don’t respect the intrinsic value and dignity of women,” said Penny Young Nance, CEO and president of CWA. “Concerned Women for America supports the courageous women who commit their lives to military service, but a country that requires its daughters to gamble their lives on the lottery of war also risks the foundations that make our country strong.”
Related:
Drafting Women to War Would Be ‘Immoral,’ National Review Says in Criticizing Congress
Senate Committee Passes Bill that Would Force Women to Register for Draft
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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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