Feature
A Miscall to Arms
Why Selective Service for Women Is Immoral by Andrew A. Sicree
In June 2016, the U.S. Senate voted with broad bi-partisan support to require young women to register for the military draft. The House of Representatives was expected to vote likewise soon afterward, and President Obama would surely have happily signed such a modification to the Selective Service Act. Had the law passed, it would have forced women aged 18 to 25 to register with the government, and it would have made them susceptible to conscription in the future. But despite widespread support for the provision among the leadership of the armed forces—then Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said, "I think women should register for the selective service. I see no reason not to"—it was stripped out of the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act.
By November 2016, both houses of Congress had quietly dropped it from the final version of the bill. Nevertheless, there is still need for vigilance because the issue could re-emerge at any time. When the federal government first began moving forward with these plans last year, there was little public awareness that such a drastic change in the law was even afoot. Americans should not be caught unawares again.
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95. That's only $3.34 per month!
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
more on feminism from the online archives
33.1—January/February 2020
on the Consequences of One Birth Before Roe v. Wade by Craig Kellogg Galer
14.6—July/August 2001
Three Bad Ideas for Women & What to Do About Them by Frederica Mathewes-Green
more from the online archives
26.5—Sept/Oct 2013
The Perils of Pragmatism in Christian Attitudes Toward the Liberal Arts by Robin Phillips
30.5—Sept/Oct 2017
on Costly Grace in Breece D'J Pancake's Flyover Country by Casey Chalk
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
