Mike Pence’s group wants Republicans to reject idea of drafting women in the future.

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s organization, Advancing American Freedom (AAF), is taking a strong stance against a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would require women to sign up for the potential military draft. A letter was sent by AAF Executive Director Paul Teller to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Mike Johnson, urging them to oppose this move.

The Senate version of the NDAA, which made its way out of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, includes an amendment that would expand selective service registration to include women. Teller argued that there is no logical reason to require women to register for the draft.

The letter, signed by over 40 other conservative organizations and leaders, including Concerned Women for America’s Penny Nance, American Principles Project’s Terry Schilling, and American Values’ Gary Bauer, strongly opposes this provision and calls on all Republicans to stand against legislation that would require young women to register for the draft.

However, the contentious provision did not make it into the version of the NDAA passed by the Republican-controlled House. This bill, unlikely to be considered in the Senate, would automatically register men aged 18 to 26 for the draft.

Some Senate Republicans, like Sen. Josh Hawley, vehemently opposed the amendment, suggesting that Democrats are pushing for gender-neutral drafts to turn the military into a social experiment. Hawley unequivocally rejected this proposal, as did Sen. Mike Lee, who stated that the provision would only pass “over my dead body.”

Despite the opposition within Senate Republicans, McConnell has previously expressed support for including women in selective service registration. In 2016, McConnell stated his belief that it would be appropriate for women to register for the draft, emphasizing that the military landscape has evolved drastically with women now fulfilling various roles.

As the debate over the inclusion of women in the draft continues, the clash between different factions within the Republican party highlights the complexities of the issue and the divergent opinions on gender equality in military service.