The Future Of The Draft: Will Women Be Included?

Things are continuing to heat up across the world. Following an invasion, Ukrainian forces are desperately struggling to fend off Russia. With every passing day, questions of whether this regional conflict will turn into global war continue to rise.

With the concerns of war, a fear arises of the reinstitution of the Selective Services draft. The draft has not been used since the Vietnam War, but if the United States gets pulled into another world war, there is a high possibility it could be reinstated in order to keep up with the number of soldiers that would be needed. This time around, however, a new face could be seen in the draft selection — the face of women. 

Discussion about women in the military is not solely a reaction to recent events but has been prevalent for the past decade, if not longer. According to NPR, a ban on women serving in frontline combat was lifted in 2015. Additionally, the annual defense spending package, approved by Congress, almost contained a provision requiring women to register for Selective Service upon turning 18, but was taken out during negotiations. 

The question of whether women should be drafted, let alone allowed to serve in combat roles in the first place, is one that should be taken very seriously, especially by Christians. Woke culture is largely influenced by both feminism and new radical and gender ideology. In a world that doesn’t even acknowledge the traditional definitions of gender, what would the problem be with allowing this? 

It is first important to recognize that the Bible absolutely affirms that there are only two genders — male and female, as accounted for in the creation narrative and throughout Scripture itself. The Bible also designates that men and woman have equal status as humans but have different roles prescribed by God, just as there are different roles for different people in the church and different roles for the different parts of a body. In a world that attempts to twist this, Christians must stand for biblical truth. 

In light of the differences not only in the roles of men and women, but in their biology as well, we must look at the question of whether or not women ought to serve in combat roles before we look at the idea of them serving in the draft. As pointed out by Pastor Al Mohler in a 2016 edition of his podcast “The Briefing,” most women are not able to meet the military’s physical strength requirements for combat. These standards exist for a very important reason. 

Combat is both mentally and physically draining. Men who do meet the military’s strength requirements are still susceptible to extreme physical injuries as well as mental illness in the form of PTSD. If someone who is physically capable of handling the environment is still able to crack under the pressure, it only seems logical that sending people who are not physically capable will have extremely adverse consequences. 

This is not to say that women are not strong or have no role in the military. Historically, women have served a tremendous role in military service through the medical and intelligence fields. Additionally, during World War II, it was the women at home who went to work in factories to produce the essential supplies to keep America in the fight. 

There are plenty of non-combat roles that women can play in the military. Women in general do not fit the physical requirements necessary to allow them to serve in forward combat positions, nor is it the biblical responsibility of women to serve in a role such as that. This is not an attack on women, their status or their abilities. 

It is a high calling and a high honor to be willing to lay down your life for your country — one that should be respected. While it may seem discriminatory to bar women from serving in the role of combat, it is a necessary provision for both the security and sanctity of the nation. 

hughes is an opinion writer. Follow him on Twitter