Students weight in: Should women be required to draft into the military?

Freshman+Lyn+Jarrell+is+a+first+year+staff+writer+on+the+Elkhart+Memorial+GENESIS+staff.+She+specializes+in+opinion+columns.+

Jahlea Douglas

Freshman Lyn Jarrell is a first year staff writer on the Elkhart Memorial GENESIS staff. She specializes in opinion columns.

Lyn Jarrell, Staff Writer

Federal Judge, Gray H. Miller, from Texas recently announced that it is ‘unconstitutional to draft only men in the military service.’

He wrote in his ruling:

“While historical restrictions on women in the military may have justified past discrimination, men and women are now ‘similarly situated for purposes of a draft or registration for a draft. If there ever was a time to discuss ‘the place of women in the Armed Services,’ that time has passed.”

The whole topic was brought up by the National Coalition for Men (NCFM), a men’s rights organization. Despite the concern for the so called “unconstitutional” acts of drafting, not many people in general are even concerned with it at all.

Freshman Angellenna Bradley is against requiring women to register, believing that people should be able to choose whether or not they join the military.

“I feel like if we force women to join, it would make them uncomfortable. There is a difference between men and women, and I feel like not all women would be okay with fighting or going to war,” Bradley said.

Some males also disagree with the proposition that women should be required to draft.

“Girls should have a choice,” Freshman Tyler Bryan said. “In today’s world, everyone basically has a choice because of all the volunteers. Drafting systems are no longer useful. I think requiring women to draft, would only put them in awkward situations. Especially if they get called, and they have little to none, prior knowledge on how these things go. Also, being surrounded by a bunch of random men is something that would definitely make some women uncomfortable. Even I feel uncomfortable thinking about it.

Despite the points made by those who disagree, there is still a debate going.

“Why shouldn’t women have to draft?” Freshman Shawndi Snider said. “We talk about equal rights and being treated equally without gender biases, so why would men only be the ones who draft?”

Whatever the points may be, there is still one thing left undetermined. Should women be required to draft for the military?