Members of the Senate majority are preparing to introduce a proposal to require women to register for the military draft. Should the measure gain steam, a heated debate over the morality of forcing women to fight in the military during an armed conflict is sure to ensure.

According to a draft of the proposal obtained by Politico, Senate Armed Services Chair Jack Reed, D-R.I., is “proposing a sweeping rewrite of the military draft laws aimed at requiring women to register for the Selective Service System.”

“The changes to Selective Service could be attached to the National Defense Authorization Act, a defense policy bill that’s one of the few pieces of legislation considered a ‘must-pass’ by Congress,” Politico reports.

The outlet notes that the proposal will likely be considered in the Senate Armed Services Committee as early as this week, though “floor action on the bill would wait until later this year.”

The idea of requiring women to register for Selective Service has gained increased attention in recent years. As a part of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, the U.S. Congress created a commission to consider whether women should be forced to register for the draft.

In 2020, the commission delivered a 255-page report which recommended the idea. “Requiring women to register for the draft 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 commissioners wrote.

Focus on the Family has long opposed both the concept of women serving in combat positions as well as proposals related to their forced conscription. Our reasons are many:

  • The purpose of the military is to protect our country and win wars. It shouldn’t be a place for social experimentation.
  • Both biblically and historically, men are the ones charged with protecting and laying down their lives in defense of their country and fellow citizens.
  • Physiologically, there are major differences that leave men, as a rule, much better suited for engaging in the demands of warfare.
  • Cases of sexual assault and misbehavior increase when men and women are confined in close quarters in a battlefield setting.

For more information on this issue, the Center for Military Readiness is a helpful resource.

We’re likely to hear more of this debate going forward.

Related articles:

Drafting Our Daughters? U.S. Commission Recommends Women Be Forcefully Conscripted

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Photo from Sipa USA/REUTERS