Senate Democrats Propose Adding Women to the Draft

Libby | July 20, 2021
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In their latest efforts to champion equality, Democrats are seeking to require women to register for the draft.

According to a draft from Senate Armed Services Chair Sen. Jack Reed (D- R.I.), which was first obtained by POLITICO, the proposal indicates that the clear reference to males has been changed to “All Americans.”

Current laws regarding Selective Service requires 18-year-old men to register for potential military service, despite the draft’s last usage occurring in 1973.

Reed’s proposal could be added to a larger defense policy bill, the National Defense Authorization Act — reigniting the controversial debate on gender and the draft that has been ongoing for years.

Last year, a congressional commission recommended that women be included in the draft, though Congress never implemented it.

“This is a necessary and fair step, making it possible to draw on the talent of a unified Nation in a time of national emergency,” the report said, according to a 2020 article by POLITICO.

A similar proposition was made in 2017 by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) but later dropped from the final defense policy legislation.

Though the proposed change comes in line with the gender equality narrative pushed by liberals and progressives, a majority of women do not support it.

A 2016 Rasmussen Reports poll indicates that while 61 percent of male voters support adding women to the draft, only a mere 38 percent of female voters do.

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