Voices: Draft could help fight for women's rights

On Tuesday, House Republicans removed a provision from the defense policy bill that would have required women ages 18-26 to sign up for the military draft.

I think that's a big mistake, and a big disappointment.

It's great that we have recently opened up several combat positions to women. I was in the first group of women in the Marines to undergo Basic Warrior Training during boot camp in 1988 at Parris Island, S.C. It was so exciting to think that we were on the verge of true equality with our male colleagues.

No longer would they question our presence in the Corps. If we were fighting alongside them and truly furthering our "first to fight" mission, then we would be equal. This could open up a new world for all women from all walks of life in the USA. At least that's what we thought back then.

At one of our fireside chats during my platoon's combat training, I asked the drill instructors about women going to war and being eligible for the sometimes higher-paying combat roles. We were told women would never be part of the draft or be in combat roles because “Americans don’t want to see their daughters coming home in body bags.”

That’s when I realized that if we were training to be "basic Marines" who could be in combat zones but denied direct combat roles, we would always be seen as second-class citizens in every job and in every industry. It was an eye-opening and disheartening discussion that night in those swampy, sandflea-ridden woods.

Tuesday's action comes just months after the Defense Department lifted all gender-based restrictions on front-line combat units, including in infantry and artillery, and even in elite special operations units. Although opening the draft to women doesn't necessarily mean more women will go into combat — it's a largely symbolic move anyway, since the U.S. has not had a draft since 1973 — I believe the requirement could put women on more equal footing with men.

So are some lawmakers trying to avoid a vote on equality for women, who as of 2015 made up 15.3% of active-duty personnel in the U.S. military? Some Republicans say more study is needed before knocking down the prohibition on women signing up for the draft.

The provision was sponsored by Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., a retired Marine who served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said the Pentagon's December decision to permit women to fight in combat roles was executive overreach. In sponsoring the amendment, he hoped to draw attention to the unilateral move and suggest that Congress should be more responsive to the will of American families than it is to the Pentagon. His measure passed, but the House sidestepped a contentious debate when GOP leaders moved to jettison the provision.

The military draft was last used in 1973 during the Vietnam War, and Congress would have to pass a law reinstating the draft before it could be implemented. The Defense Department has also voiced its approval to have women register for the draft.

Israel, Norway and Eritrea are among the countries that require women to serve in the military. In 1948, Israel required that women ages 18-28 without children be required to serve. Eritrea began its compulsory military service in 1995, and women make up more than 30% of its ranks. Norway begins its mandatory conscription of women this summer.

But let's keep it real here. As Americans should have noticed from our recent conflicts, there are no front lines anymore. There are no rules on who gets bombed or taken hostage. You could be a clerk, cook, analyst or medic. There is nowhere to hide.

Of course, no one wants to be forced into service. But by including women in the draft, we would be telling our daughters that, yes, you are as capable as our sons.

Flanagan is a multiplatform editor at USA TODAY who served eight years in the Marine Corps Reserve. Follow her on Twitter @ShayTorie.