by Michelle Craig

Created on: May 25, 2009   Last Updated: June 03, 2009

The draft is an ongoing controversial subject. Between World War II and the Vietnam War the draft was looked at as normal to most Americans. As time went on this idea faded and the draft was considered unfair, creating doubts by the time the Vietnam war happened. The U.S. Draft has been done away with, the last man being drafted in 1972. A draft occurs in a national panic when more troops are needed than the volunteer military can produce. The draft is unpopular with most Americans but that will not stop the draft from re-occurring in the future.

The draft should not be re-instituted because citizens should have a right to choose whether they want to serve for their country or not. The government should not decide our actions for us. We have free will, something the constitution guarantees us. Violation of the constitution and our rights should not be supported or carried out. Times have changed; many of us have different key roles in America society not involved with war or military participation and do not have time to serve in Iraq, a war some of us do not even support. Some Americans may not even be skilled for the job thus making terrible soldiers on the field.

In the U.S. Constitution the Thirteenth Amendment prohibits any type of involuntary servitude unless it is carried out as punishment for a crime. Some groups even look at the draft as a form of slavery because it is mandatory work. Another problem is that conscription usually targets the most qualified young adults and teenagers ranging from ages 17-18. This is unfair seeing as how some conscripted teenagers are not even old enough to drink, decide to go to war, or vote on whether or not the draft should even be allowed. Young teenagers should not have to be forced to go to fight at such a young age.

Some children are in school trying to get a high school diploma, some are going off to college attempting to make a nice career for themselves. It is not fair to take their goals and plans away from them and throw them on the battle fields to die without having a word or choice of their own. Again, what happened to freedom of choice, thought, conscious, life and liberty? Many of these conscription happenings are accompanied with sexism. Drafts mainly target boys, men, young and old.

Women and disabled men are often the exception. Why is this? It seems to me that the draft is thought up to be a way to show boys what being a man is all about. What, is going to war, killing and dying a manly thing,

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