WASHINGTON — A measure that would make young women eligible for the military draft that is moving through Congress and could become law soon is stirring up a long-standing debate about the role of women in the military.
The provision that would require college-aged women to sign up for Selective Service is included in the annual defense spending bill that passed in the House and is up for a vote in the Senate this week.
Critics of the measure argue that it is largely a hollow gesture, because the military draft has been dormant for nearly five decades. But they say that if the federal government were to reinstate the lottery system, women should not be forced into going to war.
