A congressman for California, Hunter attempted to dissuade the committee for allowing the measure to pass.
Hunter said the purpose of the draft is “to get more people to rip the enemy’s throats out.” Hunter continued “I don’t want to see my daughters put in a place where they have to get drafted.”
The majority did not think the gender restrictions on the draft were appropriate. The Armed Services Committee voted to pass the amendment, 32-30.
Another Representative of California, democrat Jackie Speier supported the policy change: “I actually think if we want equality in this country, 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.”
The role of women in the military has been a contentious issue in the contemporary United States since late last century. In 1981, the Supreme Court ruled that women did not have to register for the draft because combat jobs were closed to them.
