The fight over women registering for the military draft is splitting Democrats.
Some see the issue as one of basic gender equality, arguing women should face the same requirements as men. Others argue that no one should be required to register for the draft, and that including women would be a step in the wrong direction.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a man, a woman or a houseplant—we need to abolish the Selective Service,” Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said in a statement to The Hill. “Allowing women to be included in the Selective Service would just double the number of people punished unnecessarily by the government over inclusion in a mean-spirited and outdated practice.”
“My position is the position on the draft in general,” Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said. “I’m just against the draft.”
Liberal activists have also taken up the cause. A Care2 petition with nearly 14,000 signatures urges lawmakers to end the draft instead of requiring women to participate.
"While this is unfair and sexist — women should be allowed to serve in combat roles just as men are — it is immoral to force people to go to war, no matter their sex," Julie Mastrine, the petition's author and Care2's activism marketing and social media manager, says in the petition document.
Read more:
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/279870-left-divided-over-women-registering-for-the-draft
