In a major victory for traditionalists and conservatives, a provision that would force women to register for the military draft was dropped this week from a defense bill – months after committees in both chambers approved such language.
At the center of the debate is the National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass bill that funds the military and often draws bipartisan support.
This summer, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees passed bills with similar language requiring women to register with the Selective Service System, which currently keeps a list of all men ages 18-25 eligible for the draft.
Under current law, men are required to register. The Democratic-led proposal would have required women, too, to register.
But House and Senate negotiators dropped the Selective Service language from the final version of the bill this week, according to Politico, which called it a “stunning turnaround.” That final bill now goes to the full House and Senate.
“One of the people with knowledge of the move said the provision was stripped as a trade-off so Republicans would accept reforms to the military justice system,” Politico reported.
The news was celebrated by U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who had introduced an amendment to strip the language from the act.
“It appears the NDAA will no longer require women to register for the military draft. I certainly hope that is the case,” Hawley said Monday. “If it is not, then I will keep fighting for a vote on the Senate floor to strip this wrong and misguided provision out of the final bill.”
U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) said she was “grateful” for the removal of the provision.
“This provision was never about improving military readiness,” she said. “Instead, it passed through committee under the misplaced guise of ‘equality,’ imposing a woke ideology on our troops rather than meeting the current needs of our military. Women are not chess pieces in a political game. They are doctors, lawyers, engineers, and already valuable members of our all-volunteer force.”
This provision was never about improving military readiness. Instead, it passed through committee under the misplaced guise of ‘equality,’ imposing a woke ideology on our troops rather than meeting the current needs of our military.
— Rep. Vicky Hartzler (@RepHartzler) December 6, 2021
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) agreed.
“This is a huge victory,” he said.
Great news! The "draft our daughters" provision will not be in the final version of the NDAA. I have been working to remove this provision which would negatively affect our military readiness. This is a huge victory!
— Rep. Doug Lamborn (@RepDLamborn) December 7, 2021
Hawley had previously said, “It is wrong to force our daughters, mothers, wives, and sisters to fight our wars.”
In a fact sheet on the issue, Concerned Women for America said, “enduring differences between the sexes have everything to do with military readiness and national security in wartime.”
“Our daughters should not be forced to register for the draft to prove they are equal, and our military should not be forced to compromise its focus on our national security to placate liberal activists who don’t respect the intrinsic value and dignity of women,” said Penny Young Nance, CEO and president of CWA. “Concerned Women for America supports the courageous women who commit their lives to military service, but a country that requires its daughters to gamble their lives on the lottery of war also risks the foundations that make our country strong.”
Related:
Drafting Women to War Would Be ‘Immoral,’ National Review Says in Criticizing Congress
Senate Committee Passes Bill that Would Force Women to Register for Draft
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Tetra Images
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
