Women in Military Combat

The question of whether women should be allowed in military combat is one that must be answered based on the consequences of that choice rather than on some enduring principle of ethics or moral imperative. The potential and actual consequences of allowing women in military combat include adverse impact to the American family, adverse impact to the population, potential loss of lives, and potential loss of battles and whole wars. The impact to the family is centered in the fact that women in combat cannot breastfeed, nurture, or raise their children. Unless, as is rarely the case, the father is able to stay home and raise the children every day, this means that the children become daycare and latchkey children rather than having a close-knit family life. Babies are especially affected because they cannot be breastfed without their mother being available, and the loss of maternal contact in their formative months and years is not replaceable later. Schlafly (1991) states, "Pregnancy and motherhood are simply not compatible with military service" and asserts, "It is wrong to pretend that a woman who is pregnant or has a baby is ready to ship out to fight a war." Moreover, she points out that "the American people watched in amazement when they saw press photos of nursing mothers of six-, 10-, and 12-week-old babies...being shipped out to the Persian Gulf War" (Schlafly, 1991).

The potential adverse impact on the population is obvious; the loss of women

Related Essays

Women in Military Combat . Women in military combat is insane. .... Therefore, the argument concludes, allowing women to participate in military combat is bad public policy. .... (1397 6 )

Women in Combat .... Not only are women military personnel who are not engaged in combat or high risk situations more at risk, but so are female civilians. .... (2341 9 )

The Equal Rights Amendment (Women): Arguments Against .... is that by giving women putatively "equal status" with their male counterparts, women could become equally likely to be sent into military combat positions for .... (488 2 )

Sexual Intimidation of Working Women .... women who engage in violence are often considered "unladylike." Only recently have women been privileged to participate in military combat alongside men, and .... (3536 14 )

Women of Color and ERA .... life that had been previously dominated by men, eg, all male organizations such as the Boy Scouts and allowing women to participate in military combat: " . . . .... (1683 7 )

Category: Government - W