Congress Is Trying Again to Force
Women to Register for the Draft
World BEYOND War / Action Network
(June 28, 2022) — Again, in another military bill, the US Congress is advancing its plan to require young women to register to be forced against their will to do something they are perfectly free to do right now if they want to: join in the killing and dying of US wars.
It’s pleasant to imagine there won’t be a draft, but they sure are eager to double the number of people they can impose it on, they’ve just lifted the requirement of a high school diploma for “volunteers” in the poverty draft, and talk of a war with Russia has become quite respectable.
The only thing that’s prevented thus far the expansion of draft registration to women is the cartoonishly sexist views of the same people stripping women of various other rights but believing that the noble act of organized mass murder is “man’s work.” These people will not win the day on this. We need draft opposition from people who care about human life.
We need to pass legislation to end draft registration for everyone, men and women.
The US government is going to either expand draft registration to young women (signing them up to be forced against their will to kill and die) in the name of “equal rights,” or it is going to end this outdated barbarism of forcing people into war.
Contrary to popular myth a draft does not decrease the chances or duration or extent of wars. https://worldbeyondwar.org/repeal/
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The bill we need has been introduced in both houses. We need huge numbers of emails and phone calls and letters to the editor in support of it. Start by emailing your Congress Members here and share this email with others.
Repeal the US Military Selective Service Act
World BEYOND War, RootsAction.org, On Earth Peace, Stop Recruiting Kids Campaign
Learn all about repealing draft registration,
why the draft is not a tool for ending war,
and other useful facts
The US government is going to either expand draft registration to young women (signing them up to be forced against their will to kill and die) in the name of “equal rights,” or it is going to end this outdated barbarism of forcing people into wars.
A federal district court has ruled that male-only draft registration is unconstitutional. Contrary to popular myth a draft does not decrease the chances or duration or extent of wars. Learn more at the Background links below.
ACTION: EMAIL CONGRESS
If you are from the United States, please click here to quickly email your Representative and your two Senators.
H.R. 2509 / S. 1139 would:
- Repeal the Military Selective Service Act (thereby eliminating Presidential authority to order men to register with the Selective Service System for a possible military draft and eliminating criminal penalties for failure or refusal to register);
- Abolish the Selective Service System (thereby ending contingency planning by the SSS for the Health Care Personnel Delivery System or any other form of special-skills draft);
- Prohibit all other Federal agencies from imposing civil sanctions (denial of federal student financial aid, federally-funded jobs, etc.) for nonregistration or using nonregistration as a basis for other adverse determinations (denial of naturalization as a US citizen, etc.);
- “Preempt” (and thereby override and prohibit) all state sanctions for nonregistration (denial of drivers’ licenses, state financial aid, state jobs, etc.); and
- Preserve the rights of conscientious objectors under other laws and regulations (such as applicants for reassignment to noncombatant duties or discharge from the military on the basis of conscientious objection).
The United States had an active draft from 1940 to 1973 (except for one year between 1947 and 1948). It also had numerous wars including in Korea and Vietnam. The Vietnam War not only persisted for many years during the draft, killing far more people than any US war since, but also continued for two years after the draft ended. And the only reason the war could continue was because the military had a steady stream of draftees.
Wars have usually been facilitated by a draft, not prevented. The drafts in the US civil war (both sides), the two world wars, and the war on Korea did not end those wars, despite being much larger and in some cases fairer than the draft during the US war on Vietnam.
On April 24, 2019, the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service heard testimony from Major General John R. Evans, Jr., Commanding General, US Army Cadet Command; Mr. James Stewart, Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel & Readiness); and Rear Admiral John Polowczyk, Vice Director of Logistics for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
They all testified that the Selective Service System was important for insuring and enabling their war-making plans. Stewart said that enacting a draft would show national resolve in support of war-making efforts. John Polowczyk said, “I think that gives us some ability to plan.”
Read: 14 Points Against Draft Registration by Leah Bolger
Are you 17 and facing threats from the US federal government regarding stiff penalties if you fail to register for the draft?
Here’s what you do.
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Background:
David Swanson: HR 6415: The Dumbest Idea in Congress
WBW: Statement to the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service
Edward Hasbrouck: Bill Introduced to End Draft Registration
Congress.gov: H.R. 2509
Congress.gov: S. 1139
Center on Conscience & War, Code Pink, Committee on Militarism and the Draft, Courage to Resist, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild, Resisters.info, Veterans For Peace, War Resisters League, World BEYOND War: It’s Time to End US Draft Registration Once and for All
Bill Galvin and Maria Santelli, Center on Conscience & War: It is time to abolish draft registration and restore full rights to people of conscience
David Swanson: Draft Registration Will Be Either Ended or Imposed on Women
David Swanson: How to Oppose the Draft for Women and Not Be Sexist
David Swanson: 10 Reasons Why Ending the Draft Helps End War
C.J. Hinke: The Last Draft Dodger: We Still Won’t Go
Rivera Sun: It’s Time. End the Draft Once and for All
Rivera Sun: Women’s Draft? Sign Me Up To Abolish War
Video of David Swanon (at 1:06:40) and Dan Ellsberg (at 1:25:40) on Why to End Draft Registration
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World BEYOND War is a global network of volunteers, chapters, and affiliated organizations advocating for the abolition of the institution of war.
