What If I Want Out Of Selective Service

With contributions from Centre on Censor & War

In 1917, the Selective Service Act created a system that authorized a typhoon and required all men of a certain age to register through the Selective Service System. AFSC was founded that same year to give careful objectors an alternative to military service as they faced the realities of a draft in World War I.

AFSC opposes requiring anyone, regardless of gender, to register for the draft and to participate in systems of war. However, in July of this year, the Senate Armed forces Committee voted to aggrandize the registration requirement—and associated penalties— to women.

This is a step backward toward militarism that hurts u.s. all. Instead of expanding registration, the U.S. must end the Selective Service requirement for everyone.

Tell Congress: Finish the Selective Service requirement for everyone!

Here's what you demand to know:

1. Right now, all typhoon-age, male person U.S. residents are required to annals for the Selective Service.

The Selective Service system exists to collect information almost people in the United States who could be forced to join the armed forces in the instance of a draft. The organization allows the Department of Defense to rapidly increment the number of troops serving in the military if at that place aren't enough volunteers.

Most men ages 18 to 25 who are U.S. citizens or residents are required to annals under this system, which collects information like the individual's address, Social Security Number, and email.

The system too maintains a network of "typhoon boards." These are civilian groups who would be tasked with deciding if people go deferments or classifications like "conscientious objector" status in the case of a draft. The draft itself would be administered by armed services reservists, despite the Selective Service being ostensibly a civilian agency.

Draft counseling during the Vietnam War. Photo: AFSC Archives

two. People who don't annals with the Selective Service face penalties.

Not registering for the Selective Service is a felony, and those who choose non to register confront many penalties. These extrajudicial sanctions include not being able to go many federal or land jobs or trainings and some state student aid (although federal educatee aid programs are no longer restricted). It tin also cause a 5-yr delay for those seeking citizenship. In the worst example scenario, if someone were to be criminally convicted of non registering, they could be fined up to $250,000 and sent to jail for up to 5 years—although this has not happened since the 1980s.

3. The Selective Service system is outdated and serves as a recruitment tool.

The United states of america has not drafted anyone since 1973, and the Selective Service arrangement, which costs taxpayers about $26 one thousand thousand a year, collects registration records that take been described as "less than useless" past Bernard Rostker, a former director of the agency.

Without an active typhoon, the Selective Service system has go a military recruitment tool—with recruiters oft targeting Black, Brown, and low-income communities.

Bayard Rustin (center) spent two years in prison for his resistance to the draft. Photo: AFSC Archives

iv. Some legislators are trying to expand the draft to women—and some are trying to end the organisation entirely.

In a recent defence force policy pecker, the House of Representatives voted to require women to register with the Selective Service. They added this provision to the National Defence Dominance Human action (NDAA), a beak that passes every year to authorize defence force-related activities. The Senate Military machine Committee besides included this expansion in their ain version of the NDAA. However, when the House and Senate negotiated the final pecker the Selective Service Organization expansion was stripped from the text!

The expansion was stopped for now, merely ultimately we want to see an end to the system overall. Fortunately, there are too efforts in both the Business firm and Senate to end the Selective Service system! Reps. Peter DeFazio and Rodney Davis, and Sens. Ron Wyden and Rand Paul, have introduced the Selective Service Repeal Human action in each chamber (H.R. 2509 and S. 1139). This bipartisan try would finish the Selective Service Organization, cease the sanctions against those who don't register, find new authorities jobs for those working for the Selective Service, and preserve the rights of conscientious objectors.

five. Expanding the Selective Service System is not progress. Information technology's a step back toward militarism.

Proponents of expanding Selective Service registration have bearded the effort every bit "feminism." In reality, the draft is a brunt that has been unjustly placed on men for decades—and expanding the arrangement to women is a wrong-headed arroyo in working toward equality. Instead of forcing more people to participate in systems of state of war with threats of fines, prison, and other sanctions, Congress should end the arrangement entirely.

Contact Congress today: Tell them to stop Selective Service for everyone!

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