A Senate panel recently approved a defense bill that would ultimately make women register for the draft. The National Defense Authorization Act was approved by the Senate Armed Service Committee and will amend the previous Military Selective Service Act.
The Military Selective Service Act previously required only men to register for the draft; however, now the Senate panel will aim to have women register for the draft too. The new bill will remove “men” from the Military’s Service Act and replace it with “All Americans”.
i personally can't wait to be the first woman to dodge the draft. https://t.co/xjoIZXgF0G
— crash test cadaver (@icingburns) July 23, 2021
The last time the United States has instituted a draft was during the Vietnam War where they drafted over 2.2 million men. As of right now by law, if you are a male ages 18-25, you must be signed up with the Selective Service System which is a governmental agency that serves as a database for information on draft-eligible males.
That could change, though, if the recent bill passed by the Senate Committee passes both the House and Senate and gets Biden’s approval too. In that case, women would be required to sign up for the draft using the Selective Service System.
New this AM: Faith and anti-war groups write to SASC urging them to eliminate the Selective Service System completely. The committee is expected to consider an amendment from Chairman Jack Reed to require women to register for a military draft during today’s NDAA markup. pic.twitter.com/M3C0LHTU1R
— Connor O'Brien (@connorobrienNH) July 21, 2021
The Selective Service System In Some States Automatically Registers You For The Draft
As stated earlier, the United States has a law where all men ages 18-25 must register for the draft; if they don’t, they could receive up to a $250,000 fine or face up to five years in prison.
That’s not all; if you’re not registered for the draft, you’re also ineligible to receive financial aid. Although the consequences are steep for not signing up for the draft, the reality is the United States Government very seldomly punishes people for not registering with the Selective Service System.
Many young men are signed up for the draft and they don’t even know it. Many states have made it law to require any citizen that obtain an I.D. or Drivers license to be automatically registered in the Selective Service database. So no matter what your viewpoint is on war, if you got a driver’s license and you’re of age, you’re more than likely already signed up for the draft.
How To Find Out If You’re Signed Up For The Draft
In 2000, Delaware was the first state to enact a law that made all males ages 18-25 who are applying for a driver’s license or an I.D. be automatically signed up for the draft. Other states, like California, don’t automatically register driver’s licenses and I.D. holders for the Selective Service System.
If you’re wondering if your name is in the Selective Database System you can put in your information and find out here: SSS.GOV. To find out if your state automatically signs up license and ID holders for the draft you can check up on your state laws here: SSS State Registry.
