Should Women Be Included In The Draft?
Yes. For centuries women have been battling in order to have rights equal to their male counterparts. Since they have been given these rights, they should also have to defend them. Right now the US's draft in on deep standby, which means that a world crisis would have to occur before the SSS would use the draft. An argument that may be made against women being included in the draft is that combat is too dangerous, but the draft includes medical staff as well, which many women could do without being in danger. Pregnancy is another thing that could cause women not to be drafted, and that is understood by the government. If a woman has young children at home or is currently pregnant, she can be excused from the draft. When children get older and gain more independence, their fathers can take care of them. If the situation is that the father is not available to take care of the child, the mother can be excused from the draft. What most people don't realize is that the draft only includes people between the ages of eighteen and twenty five. That means that most women who would be included wouldn't be ready to have a child anyways. They would be going to college, or starting their careers in the workforce. If women are to be included in the rights given to citizens by the constitution, which they have every right to, then they should be willing to defend these rights just like their male counterparts.
~Andrew H. | No. Throughout the history of women's involvement in the military, sexism and abuse has become their plight. A survey done by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, suggests that abuse suffered by women in the military is more common than one might "expect." With half of the 558 women reporting some type of abuse (30% raped, 35% assaulted, 16% both) it clearly shows that women are in danger from the very people whom they serve with - the very soldiers they should be able to trust with their lives. Furthermore, an article called Factors Associated with Women's Risk of Rape in the Military Environment states that a consistent 28% of women reported rape throughout history. These unfortunate and gruesome statistics only come from reported abuse, so how many more crimes remain silent and in the shadows of countless souls?
Another horror many veterans experience is Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD). The American Psychological Association published an article pertaining to sexual stress and its correlation to PTSD in female veterans. Women who were abused (in any sexual manner) showed higher levels of PTSD, with sexual stress being “4 times as influential in the development of PTSD as duty-related stress” (American Psychological Association publication). These numbers hold the potential to skyrocket if a universal draft is implemented. Sending women into combat, both against American male officers and foreign advisories, would be detrimental to many of the women involved and the cruelest, most demeaning, form of torture imaginable. If the United States Army, more over, the Federal Government, cannot even protected the women whovolunteer, how can it ensure the safety of women whom it conscripts? Until safeguards and other precautions can be implemented on a national level, women should not be included in the draft. Budda says: “a man may conquer a million men in battle but one who conquers himself is, indeed, the greatest of conquerors,” which could be comparable to women and the draft; a woman may fight a war and conquer millions overseas, yet a woman who can conquer America first, is the greatest of conquers. ~Maria G. |