Hillary Clinton on Wednesday threw her support behind legislation that would require women to register for the draft.
“I am on record as supporting the all-volunteer military, which I think at this time does serve our country well,” she told the Huffington Post. “And I am very committed to supporting and really lifting up the men and women in uniform and their families.”
A provision in the National Defense Authorization Act passed by the Senate on Tuesday requires women to sign up for the draft. Both Republicans and Democrats supported the measure, arguing that military service is not inherently gendered.
“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 (D-CA) said to NBC News.
“We have a standards-based force now, and we don’t have a standards-based Selective Service,” Rep. Chris Gibson (R-NY) told the Washington Post, referring to the agency which keeps information on those who are eligible for conscription.
Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) disagreed. “We have a choice to make,” he told the Associated Press in May following a Republican attempt to block the provision. “Either we continue with Selective Service and have women be a part of it or we abolish it altogether. I’m for abolishing it altogether.”
Any impact from the provision wouldn’t be apparent until 2018, when women between the ages of 18 and 25 would be required to register.
