New legislation supports women in the draft

On Sept. 19, 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Selective Service and Training Act, requiring all men of ages 21 to 36 to sign up for the draft. Roosevelt explained the weight that his proclamation carried:

“We cannot remain indifferent to the philosophy of force now rampant in the world… We must and will marshal our great potential strength to fend off war from our shores. We must and will prevent our land from becoming a victim of aggression.”

America, it’s military, and global affairs have undergone drastic change since Roosevelt’s pre-Pearl-Harbor proclamation. Even the draft, which has not been used since 1973’s Vietnam War, is adapting to current events.

On Tuesday, June 7, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The new legislation requires women turning 18 years of age after January first, 2018, to register for Selective Service.

NDAA follows a long line of events that continue to change the role of women in the military.

Deborah Sampson was the first female soldier, having served in General Washington’s army from 1782 to 1783, while disguised as a man. According to History.com, “After being wounded, her gender [was] discovered and she [was] honorably discharged.”

Dr. Mary Walker, the only female recipient of the Medal of honor to date, was one of many women to distribute medical care to the American military.

It wasn’t until 1917 in the final two years of World War I (WWI) that women were officially allowed to join the military.

Following this change, 30,000 women fought in WWI, 400,000 in various occupations in World War II, 50,000 in the Korean war, and 7,000 in the Vietnam War.

Further changes were made in 1991. History.com explains, “During the Persian Gulf War, more than 41,000 women [were] deployed to the combat zone. Two [were] taken captive.”

As the positions of women in the military continue to evolve, many debate whether legislation should evolve with it.

NDAA continues to be controversial, even after the Senate’s approval.

Jordan Carey, journalist for online newspaper “The Hill”, expained, “Proponants say women already have the green light to serve in combat roles, hurting the legal argument for excluding them from the draft. But opponents say that Congress needs to spend more time studying the politically tricky bill instead of ticking it into a massive ‘must pass’ bill.”