The Senate authorized a comprehensive military funding bill that would force 18-year-old women to register for the draft, if it were re-instated, The New York Times reports.
This bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act 2017, would demand that women turning 18 on or after Jan. 1, 2018, are required to enlist for Selective Service. If one chooses to avoid the draft, it could turn into the loss of several modes of federal aid. The U.S. military last used the draft in 1973.
Sen. John McCain claimed, “The fact is, every single leader in this country, both men and women, members of the military leadership, believed that it’s fair since we opened up all aspects of the military to women that they would also be registering for Selective Services.”
Gen. Robert B. Neller, agrees with this notion and told the Senate Armed Services Committee a few months ago that he believes “every American who’s physically qualified should register for the draft.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, on the other hand, argued, “The idea that we should forcibly conscript young girls in combat to my mind makes little sense at all.”
He voted against the bill on Tuesday, keeping his two young daughters in mind. “I could not in good conscience vote to draft our daughters into the military,” Cruz said, “sending them off to war and forcing them into combat.”
Military specialists claim that even if this bill falls through in Congress, this topic is going to continue to remain an issue.
Heritage Action for America argued, “Allowing our daughters to be forced into combat if there is a draft is a clear example of Washington placing more value on liberal social engineering than military objectives and preparedness.”
