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House Adopts Measure to Preclude Women From Draft Registration

Amendment would prohibit changes to Selective Service registration requirements

U.S. Army female soldiers in Iraq during the Iraq War. (Photo credit should read PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images)
U.S. Army female soldiers in Iraq during the Iraq War. (Photo credit should read PATRICK BAZ/AFP/Getty Images)

The House on Thursday adopted an amendment that would effectively prevent women from having to register for the draft.  

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Women and the Draft: They’re Divided Over Registration
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The amendment to a general government spending bill, offered by Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, was approved 217-203. It would prohibit federal funds from being used to change the Selective Service registration requirements.  

The idea of requiring women to register for the draft arose on a House defense bill earlier this year. An amendment to have women join the draft was adopted in committee but later stripped from the bill amid concerns about it violating House rules that require changes in mandatory spending to be offset.  

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House Stands Down on Women in the Draft
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GOP leaders expressed concerns about the proposal at the time, saying lawmakers should instead do a comprehensive review of the Selective Service process.  

Some lawmakers believe the draft is obsolete. Reps. Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and Mike Coffman, R-Colo., offered an amendment to block funds from being used to administer the Selective Service System but it wasn’t brought up for a vote.  


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