El Paso weighs in: Should women be included in the military draft?

Following a federal judge’s ruling that an all-male draft is unconstitutional, El Paso answers the question: “Should women be drafted to war?”

“They could be drafted, just not in a combat role,” said Benjamin Paulsen, a retired Sergeant First Class in the U.S. Army. “They could be drafted in support services.”

Paulsen told ABC-7 he was deployed to Turkey in 2013. His wife agreed that women should not be drafted to combat roles.

“They don’t have the strength that men do, both physically and emotionally,” said Lupe Paulsen. “They’re just weaker in a lot of ways.”​

On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Gray Miller disagreed in his ruling, writing: “Combat roles no longer uniformly require sheer size or muscle.”

One young female JROTC student at Chapin High School disagreed.

“Guys are physically stronger than women, it’s just a fact, because they produce more testosterone,” said Alyssa Clemons. “But, I mean, why should that stop people from serving?”

Clemons told ABC-7 she wants to be a fighter pilot.

“Just because a dude isn’t as muscular as a chick, it doesn’t mean they can’t serve,” Clemons said. “Just because a chick isn’t as muscular as a dude doesn’t mean she can’t serve.”