Women Could Soon Be Required To Register For The Draft
Women may soon be required to register for the draft. The Senate Armed Services Committee is set to add language to its annual defense bill which would mandate women to register for Selective Service.
The Senate committee approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which now includes language that “amends the Military Selective Service Act to require the registration of women for Selective Service,” per a summary of the bill released on Thursday.
The U.S. has not used the draft since the Vietnam War. Men ages 18-25 are required to register for the draft or face a felony punishment and a fine up to $250,000. Despite the registration requirements, Defense officials foresee that the military will remain all-volunteer.
In early June, the Supreme Court bounced a case that challenged the military’s male-only draft policy. They told stakeholders that the decision should be left to a Congressional decision.
Democrats proposing a sweeping rewrite of the military draft laws aimed at requiring women to register for the Selective Service System, according to a draft authored by Senate Armed Services Chair Reed, per draft
@connorobrienNH https://t.co/R59fZoDqmu
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) July 19, 2021
“It remains to be seen, of course, whether Congress will end gender-based registration under the Military Selective Service Act,” wrote Justice Sotomayor. “But at least for now, the Court’s longstanding deference to Congress on matters of national defense and military affairs cautions against granting review while Congress actively weighs the issue.”
Like clockwork, the National Defense Authorization Act is passed every year to approve military spending. It’s done so in a resistance-less bipartisan manner.
In 2020, President Trump actually issued a rare veto of that version of the NDAA, after Congress failed to include language to repeal Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. The legislation protects tech companies from liability.
However, Congress later overrode that veto. Tech companies remain protected to this day.
