American women will soon become eligible (in theory) for the draft

Mass conscription in wartime is a remote prospect in America. But were a draft called, the country’s conscripts might soon look very different. An amendment to the annual defense policy bill winding its way through Congress would make women eligible for the military draft for the first time. On September 2nd it passed the House Armed Services Committee. “It’s past time,” declared Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, a former Air Force officer and lead sponsor of the amendment. Coupled with the success of a similar provision in the Senate, the change is now almost certain to become law when the final bill comes to a vote.

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