The College Fix

Here’s a round-up of what some professors said Wednesday about the decision to allow women to serve in forward positions on the battlefield:

“I just don’t think at the end of the day there’s gonna be anything they can do to erase the gender divide and the tensions that it’s going to bring into the units.” Denny Burk, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Boyce College.

Can women now be eligible for the draft? “The answer to that question is clearly yes. The legal argument is clear: If it comes to that kind of wrenching emergency where we have to press young people into service, there is no legal justification for saying that men alone need to shoulder that burden.” Anne Coughlin, law professor at the University of Virginia School of Law.

The decision makes sense “as long as there is no lowering of the physical or other standards required for the new positions. … Women found themselves in combat situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and fought with honor and effectiveness. Now is the right time to take the next step.” Charlie Dunlap Jr., visiting professor at Duke Law School.

It’s “misguided. … The fact that the decision precedes the assessment phase is putting the cart before horse. The Marine Corps has done rigorous testing but haven’t gotten very far because they haven’t gotten many women volunteers.” Kingsley Browne, law professor at Wayne State University, who also believes women in combat units may negatively change the dynamics, creating conditions of sexual competition and sexual harassment.

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