Blake Hall
To stop the Pentagon from opening all military roles to qualified female service members, Marine veteran Rep. Duncan Hunter of California proposed a shocking amendment to the defense bill: let women sign up for the Selective Service System, aka the military draft.
The so-called “Draft Our Daughters” bill was meant to be a wake-up call for members of Congress who Hunter believed didn’t understand the nature of combat. When he introduced the bill to the House Armed Services Committee, Hunter used his platform to argue that the front lines were too dangerous for women.
“A draft is there to put bodies on the front lines to take the hill,” Hunter said to the committee. “The draft is there to get more people to rip the enemies’ throats out and kill them.”
He also argued that an all-male military draft “is sexist.”
The subtext: If you’re going to let military women apply to enter infantry positions once exclusive to men, you should also support drafting civilian women and sending them to their deaths.
Hunter did not believe the amendment would make it out of the committee. He even voted against his own bill. Despite his best efforts, the rest of the committee agreed that the draft really is sexist.
“I actually think if we want equality in this country, if we want women to be treated precisely like men are treated and that they should not be discriminated against, we should be willing to support a universal conscription,” Rep. Jackie Speier said.
Hunter’s amendment was passed 32-30. It is officially included in the defense authorization bill and on its way to be scrutinized by the rest of the House.