During the first week of January, as American troops gathered in Kuwait and politicians and the press spoke of little but war, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill to reinstate the military draft. "If we are going to send our children to war, the governing principle must be that of shared sacrifice," he wrote in an Op/Ed column in the New York Times. "I believe that if those calling for war knew that their children were likely to be required to serve-and to be placed in harm's way-there would be more caution and a greater willingness to work with the international community in dealing with Iraq."

While Rangel's bill sparked a national debate over social, economic and racial equality in the military, here at the College students argued the merits of including women in the draft on the Daily Jolt's forum. While some emphasized that a military draft might have prevented the war altogether, others discussed whether equality among the sexes would extend fully in the military arena.

Ethan Davis '05

law, jurisprudence and social thought major

"The question of women in the draft is multifaceted. Women, undeniably, are not as capable in combat roles as men, but this says nothing about their ability to serve the military in other ways. Should we draft women, for example, to serve in supply convoys? Would that equalize the system? Or would it merely damage family structure at home? As the case of Jessica Lynch has proven to us, such positions are not immune from danger. How do we avoid drafting a mother and a father and still remain equitable? In my view, inserting women into the draft is more trouble than it's worth."

Martha Saxton

professor of history and WAGS

"Speaking only for myself, I think it would be only fair to make the draft apply to men and women equally. I also believe that universal military service is the only way for average citizens to have some leverage over international policy. A widespread military requirement might help apply the brakes to administrations like this uniquely trigger-happy one."

George Doty '05

political science major

"While I believe our government has every right to oblige its citizens to join the armed services in the midst of particularly trying military conflicts, I do think that a volunteer army is superior to a compulsory one and furthermore that the prospects of a draft in the near future remain very slim given the technical emphasis of our armed services. However, if our government requires the assistance of its citizens in combat, it should be able to call upon as many people as possible. As the current war in Iraq has made clear, women can serve their country with valor and distinction on the battlefield. There are still some pieces of our military that are exclusively male and will probably remain so for some time. (According to a recent article in Time, only nine percent of Army roles are strictly male.) As the four branches of the armed services make more positions available for women, women continue to prove that they can perform their new, "masculine" tasks as ably as their male counterparts. Therefore, if there comes a time in our future when our nation's leaders are again compelled to require military service from our youth, they should call upon young men and women to answer the call of duty."

Kate Stayman-London '05

english major

"The idea that a draft may be implemented due to a war like this is ridiculous, and I hope it never happens. If a draft must exist though, it should include women, because to draft only men is biased and nonsensical. Women are just as valuable to the military as men are. Furthermore, there's no reason that my male friends should be forced to fight against their will and I should not. Any draft would be a tragedy, but the least the government could do is apply that tragedy equally to all its citizens."

Karen Sanchez-Eppler

professor of english and american studies

"My 14-year-old son has begun assembling a conscientious objector file with the help of the American Friends Service Committee. My 11-year-old daughter asked whether she shouldn't be starting to build a file too. Why not? There is no social or biological validity to granting protections to our young women that we would not also grant to our young men.

I am against this war. But if we as a nation insist on starting wars then the burden of fighting them should fall more broadly. Perhaps there should be a draft. Military service without educational or gender exemptions is far more equitable than the economic draft we have now that so disproportionately pushes the poor into battle. Maybe that wider danger will make us more hesitant to initiate violence. If traditional views of female fragility have kept us from drafting women, let us think instead about the precious fragility of human life and treasure that.

So what about the shield of conscientious objection? The idea that the state cannot require us to act against conscience is a model of tolerance that we need to affirm and strengthen, not deny. Thus I believe we should have a draft that includes women and men of all social classes, and that we should object as a matter of conscience to the call to war. If there are students who want to begin documenting their moral opposition to war, I would be happy to talk with them about how to do that."

We invite your RESPONSE

What role should the United

Nations play in rebuilding Iraq?

send 100 words to astudent@amherst.edu by April 16