The time has come where men and women are truly created equal; at least, that is what a federal judge in Texas thinks.
On Feb. 22, J
His new proposal would allow women into the Selective Service, potentially meaning that women will be required to sign up following their 18th birthday.
If the ruling is upheld, it could mean one of three things: Women would have to register for the draft after their 18th birthday, Selective Service would be eliminated entirely and neither men nor women would have to register or Selective Service would become voluntary, and men and women could continue to register, but would not lose any benefits if they fail to do so.
This is where my thought process comes in. If women are allowed to be drafted, then their physical requirements should be equal to men.
For an 18-year-old male to meet the bare minimum requirements of 60 points to pass the Army physical fitness test, they must complete 42 push-ups in two minutes, 53 sit-ups in two minutes and run two miles in 15 minutes and 54 seconds. For an 18-year-old female, the requirements are substantially less. Their requirements are 13 push-ups, 47 sit-ups and run two miles in 19 minutes and 42 seconds, according to www.goarmy.com
I do not mean to sound whiny or “woe is me”; I’m just saying that if women, and Miller, want equality throughout the military, then there
On top of that, I feel as though women should not be allowed to leave the field to shower every three to four days while their unit is out training, all while men have to tough it out and rely on baby wipes for weeks on end.
Having spent weeks in the field with the National Guard, I have witnessed this on several occasions, and it is highly unfair.
Do other countries have an equal draft? Yes. Israel has had a mandatory two years of service requirement for decades regardless of gender or sex. So this new policy can and does work. They truly see women as equal, at least in a wartime sense.
We, as a nation, are soft when it comes to the idea of having women in combat. America has this mentality that women are weak, fragile and that we must protect them at all cost. The notion of Romantic Paternalism hasn’t died though the rights of women have changed since its inception.
In order for women to become completely equal, from the draft down to the front lines, everything must be on the same playing field. We have to do away with that old mentality.
I too am guilty of being part of the old mentality, but until there are significant changes made to policy and I can see first hand that women are training equally, I do not see anyone changing their mindset anytime soon.
