WASHINGTON (TND) — A video claiming American women could soon be drafted into the U.S. military has gone viral on TikTok.
The video, posted by John Robinson on October 13, has over 6.5 million views.
As of now, there is no evidence to support that claim.
The U.S. hasn’t had a draft since 1973, but if there was one, it would only include fighting-age men.
According to the Selective Service System website, “federal law requires nearly all male U.S. citizens and male immigrants, 18 through 25, register with Selective Service.”
Back in 1981, the Supreme Court ruled in Rostker v. Goldberg that women did not need to be included in the draft. The Court reasoned that the point of registration was to fill combat roles and, at the time, women were barred from combat.
However, since the Defense Department lifted its remaining bans on women in combat back in 2013, advocates- like the National Coalition for Men – argue a men-only draft is outdated and unconstitutional.
There have been proposals introduced to require women to register for the draft. For example, last year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included several proposed changes to the military draft, like requiring women to register, but according to the Congressional Research Service, none have been enacted.
The U.S. came close to drafting women during World War II when there was a shortage of military nurses.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed a draft of female nurses and Americans actually supported the call.
“Since volunteering has not produced the number of nurses required, I urge that the Selective Service Act be amended to provide for the induction of nurses into the armed forces,” Roosevelt said during his State of the Union address on January 6, 1945. “The need is too pressing to await the outcome of further efforts at recruiting.”
While the bill stalled in the Senate, 98% of House Democrats and 78% of House Republicans voted to pass the bill.
Then, Germany surrendered a few weeks later, so it wasn’t necessary.
Norway and Sweden are the only two countries that draft men and women on the same formal conditions.
Other countries – like Israel and North Korea – have universal service requirements for both men and women with some differences, like length of service.
