A federal judge’s ruled on February 29, 2019 that the law requiring men, but not women, to register for a U.S. military draft was unconstitutional. The law has no immediate impact on women or the U.S. Selective Service System, but it does revive debate about whether the country needs a military draft system and, if so, whether all 18-year-olds, regardless of gender, should be required to register.

When women want to volunteer for the military and/or the draft, the question of their equality comes into play.  The same rules need to apply to men, whether it is voluntary or required. Since the last draft, on December 7, 1972 the military has been fully voluntary and should stay voluntary until a draft is needed.

All though the stereotypical rolls for women are care taking, cleaning and cooking, they haven’t been able to move any from these rolls. Women should have the power to move out of those roles and into a more diverse work force, one that allows them to be a part of the draft. It has been three years since women were allowed to serve in the military, since then, the first woman has graduated from the Marine Corps’ infantry officer basic course, which is the Basic School (TBS) is where all newly commissioned and appointed (for warrant officers) United States Marine Corps officers are taught the basics of being an “Officer of Marines”.

The first women was integrated into Army Infantry Units, who are a military specialization that engages in military combat on foot, distinguished from cavalry, artillery, and tank forces, also known as foot soldiers. Just this year, the first woman graduated from the Marine Corps’ highly challenging Winter Mountain Leaders Course, which is a course designed to teach students in the Marine Corps to handle cold weather operations, enable enhanced movement, control of fires, intelligence gathering, sustainment, and force protection in complex snow and ice covered terrain.

The first women to hold federal office in the United States in 1916. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Montana in 1916, and again in 1940. 151 years after the US government was established in 1789.

Fabiola Gamboa’s ’20  current Military Occupational Specialty (MOS)  is medical (68 Whiskey). “I think women should be able to register and be drafted just as much as men,” Gamboa said. “We’ve always talked about being equal and women’s rights, this is the stuff that was always popped out since been generations ago, until only years ago, so I would recommend it as well.”

While the military we have already could protect the United States without a draft. “We shouldn’t have to feel worried about a war and we do have a lot of military who are ready to step in and be drafted,” Gamboa said. “We needed it to stick around. We have the names for the draft when we need it. But we do have a strong military base.”Gamboa believes that the draft should only be nesasary if the military and other armed forces, who already have men and women trained and ready to fight at a moments notice, is unable to defend the country from a conflict or war.

Raichel Beierle’s ’20 current MOS is Unit Supply (92Y). Beirle enlisted into the National Gaurd in March of 2019. Beierle has a different view for not just women in the draft but the draft as a whole. “I went to basic with a single mom, and she wanted to be active, so bad, but she told us about how, they literally would not let her because she has a kid,” Beierle said. “And even though the dad was still around, technically, she was a single mother in the eyes of the law, so like she couldn’t join it.” In the eyes of the law it is unfair that when a child of a mother is in enrolled into the military, can  join the military, but her mother can not, it is unfair. Even when there is father figure still around at that time. The law sees the mother as single and not as divorced and unable to join because she has the child.

The Military Selective Service Act, Manner of Selection for Training and Service, (Section 5 Subsection 1) states that “…any person who has not attained the age of nineteen, if there is any person within the jurisdiction of such local board who (i) is as much as ninety days older, (ii) has not attained the age of nineteen, and (iii) is deemed by the local board to be available for induction…”

Women have not had equality in the military, to be drafted along with the men. Women have escalated in the military and have equaled men in many feats. There are exceptions and rules that the selective service may follow to choose for training and service within the acts. The equality of women should be classified as a reason to be put into effect for women to be classified into the draft.