The student news site of Hawthorne High School.

The Clarion

The student news site of Hawthorne High School.

The Clarion

The student news site of Hawthorne High School.

The Clarion

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Women’s Rights: Fighting in on the Front Line

The American military has some of the world’s toughest, well-trained men in the world. But what about the women? Even though women have the right to join the military and climb through the ranks, some people disagree with the Pentagon’s recent decision to allow females to fight on the front line. I believe that there should be no question. If a female is tough enough to survive military training, she is tough enough to be on the front line.

According Susan Estrich on Newsmax.com, while a group of servicewomen were searching Iraqi women, they were attacked, leaving 3 dead and 11 wounded. This event is enough to convince some people that the war is too dangerous for women. After hearing this discussion, I immediately searched recent male casualties. ABCNews.com reported on many male fatalities, but not one of these deaths was reported on the front page of a newspaper or in the top news on TV. The results all came up on page 12, or page 17, or even page 25. My point is, the media chose to emphasize female war casualties as headline news and take male casualties for granted, which makes it seem that the females’ deaths are more common and tragic. Every person, male or female, entering the military takes on the understanding that there is no guarantee that he or she will walk away from battle alive or unwounded. One’s gender does not change this fact.

Our enemy in the Middle East at this time is Al’Queda. The way this group treats female members of its society is one of the things we are fighting against. In some areas of the Middle East and other world areas where Al’Queda has strongholds, women are oppressed. They are not allowed to go to school, let alone fight in the military because they are required to be submissive to men.  They most certaintly do not have the right to vote. And they don’t have a real position in society besides being wife and mother. It would be a psychological slap in the face of Al’Queda if they watched a woman take down a group of insurgents on their land. Having women on the front lines can change the way that other countries view women and make a difference in the world.

In the end, whether you agree or not, the Pentagon has lifted its ban on women fighting in the front lines. I believe this was the right decision. If a person can carry a gun, pull a trigger, and has a desire to live and die for our country, then that person is more than capable of defending our country on the frontline–regardless of gender.