5 ms·
I do share this "equality" sentiment, but I think there's a valid counterpoint in that only women assume the risks and responsibility of pregnancy and childbirt
by kendallpark 8y ago
I do share this "equality" sentiment, but I think there's a valid counterpoint in that only women assume the risks and responsibility of pregnancy and childbirth. Society depends on women putting their bodies on the line to produce more members of society. There quite simply isn't a way to equalize this burden between the sexes for the foreseeable future. Some people see a male-only draft as a means to artificially balance this biological inequality.
EDIT: Point out another group's reasoning that hasn't been mentioned yet, get downvoted. ???
For all the "forced impregnation" replies, forced impregnation isn't analogous to the draft. The draft and pregnancy are fundamentally different things that can't be made equivalent. The argument being cited here never implied that this would be an equivalent exchange. It's not.
- x220 8y ago>Society depends on women putting their bodies on the line to produce more members of society. I agree. I think to make sure women uphold their unique biological responsibility to society, in times of war all healthy women under 30 should be forcibly impregnated so that our population is not decimated. This is a separate but equal sacrifice that the country needs in times of war.
- Pristina 8y agoBy this logic enforced pregnancy would be permissible instead of enforced military slavery.
- afiori 8y agoYes, they are equally indefensible and horrible. Luckily both of them no longer happen in the west since quite a few decades.
- kendallpark 8y agoYou can regard both as detrimental to equal human dignity in different ways. For most of human history you had exactly this. Women having little means to control their reproductive status (treated as property, no concept of marital rape), and men being forced to partake in the wars of their tribe/nation/state. As society expands the rights of the individual over the utilitarian needs of the collective, both become less tolerated by society.
- berbec 8y agoI would be fine with pregnancy & child-rearing responsibilities being a valid reason to avoid the draft. Of course, in the interest of equality, both parents would be eligible for the child-rearing exemption but only one parent would be allowed to claim it.
- kendallpark 8y agoIn some ways, the reasoning I cited above might simply be shortcutting a system like what you've described (via binning by biological sex). Simpler rules, but less comprehensive.
- berbec 8y agoBut once the child is born, their is little reason the parent who gave birth to be the one to provide care. It should be the family's decision who gets the post-birth exemption.
- kendallpark 8y agoI think that makes sense for the average case. How would you work this out for divorced couples with shared custody? Also, any consideration for stuff like breastfeeding? In times of war, formula could become scarce.
- PButtNutter 8y ago> there's a valid counterpoint in that only women assume the risks and responsibility of pregnancy and childbirth > The draft and pregnancy are fundamentally different things that can't be made equivalent. If they are fundamentally different and can't be made equivalent, then having a male-only draft in no way compensates for women having to give birth. Which directly contradicts your first statement that it is a valid counterpoint.
- kendallpark 8y agoMany things can't be made equivalent, yet we try to "balance the scales" anyway. If you get assaulted then sue your assailant for damages, that monetary compensation isn't going to be equivalent to the physical and psychological damages you sustained.
- berbec 8y agoIf we try to "balance the scales" by completely removing them from one side, can they truly be refered to as balanced?