Mocs News Reporting the news that matters most to UTC
By MARIA ILLARRAMENDI
CHATTANOOGA , TN (mocsnews.com) – The Men-Only registration law states that all U.S. men ages 18-25 are required to register with Selective Services within 30 days of their 18th birthday.
The Selective Service is the agency responsible to register men and running a draft. The last time a draft was used was in 1973, when the Vietnam war took place. Since then, the U.S. Military has been all-volunteer. However, it is crucial to our military that we always be prepared for combat, and therefore they still require draft registration for all young men. In fact, men who fail to register can lose eligibility for loans, jobs, and can be punished by felony law for a fine up to $250,000 and five years in prison.
The issue many people are having with this is that there is an obvious burden being placed on young men that is not being placed upon women, The director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Women’s Rights Project, Ria Tabacco Mar, says she also finds the law to be discouraging to women as it sends a message that women are less fit to serve their country in a particular way.
This is not the first time the high court has looked into this law. In 1981, there was a 6-3 vote that kept the men-only registration law. The explanation, given by the then- Justice William Rehnquist, was that the registration purpose was to prepare for combat. This was enough of a reasoning then because women were still not allowed to serve in combat.
The law was said to be not unlawful sex discrimination and continued on until a different military policy changed. In 2013, the Department of Defense officially lifted the ban on women serving in combat. Then, in 2015, all military roles became open to women.
These changes are what left many people wondering why they still do not require women to register if they were now being treated as equal in military services. In a time where women and men are striving for equality in societal roles, workplaces, sports, and education opportunities, many people believe it is time to re-review this possibly outdated law.
If the Supreme court decided to hear this case, the earliest we would see the arguments would be fall, as the court already has many cases waiting on them at the moment. The Selective Service has said they will not comment now, but that it is “capable of performing whatever mission Congress should mandate.”
