Women Should Have the Right to Fight on the Front Lines. **March Tournament**

Con states: "an entitlement to something [that can be invoked at any time that is necessary and applicable]" [1]. This means that giving a woman the "right to fight on front line [combat]" would mean that she can invoke this right of hers and go join front line combat... at any time that is applicable. I think that this is important to note as I move forward with my arguments."This basically is saying that a women has the right to fight upon the front lines if she wishes to, because she has the right, nothing should be able to stop her from wanting to serve her country. Rebuttal #1 Con brings up sexual assault, she is correct, women do get raped often and get taken advantage of for being the "women". Yet any women knowing the consequences of joining the military, they know they could possible be taken advantage of and might be sexual assaulted. This is why you consider the possible outcomes of doing something you wish. Ultimately if the women knows the dangers and side effects of joining its ultimately her decision. She knows the consequences but she docent care, she'd still want to fight for her country. A former women solider explains how she was sexually assaulted in the military and states that : "We have quite a few of our men and women that are being raped and sexually harassed during the recruitment process." As you can see, it's not just women who get sexually assaulted and raped but its also men. Rebuttal #2 Con then goes on to state : "Giving women to right to join front line combat means that they can invoke this right whenever we are in a conflict, without training, without previous experience, and without real thought. By allowing women to join front line combat, we are forcing our armed forces to have a burden on them with inexperienced fighters that cannot do their job in the way that it was intended" You are correct, women have the right to chose what they wish, as it's their right to chose what they wish. So women SHOULD be allowed to join if they wish, they don't need to invoke the right, because they do have the right to chose. "Women in the military have a history that extends over 3,000 years into the past, throughout a large number of cultures and nations. Women have played many roles in the military, from ancient warrior women, to the women currently serving in conflicts, even though the vast majority of all combatants have been men in every culture. Even though women serving in the military has often been controversial, relatively few women in history have fought alongside men. In the American Civil War, there were a few women who cross-dressed as men in order to fight. Fighting on the battlefront in disguise was not the only way women involved themselves in war. Some also served as nurses and aides." As you can see, from a long time ago women were not forced to join the military yet they wanted to join, because they wanted to. They had the right to chose to go into the military or to not to go into. They weren't forced. Rebuttal #3 My opponent then goes on to claim that women would be tormented by the men and would still be sexually harassed and raped. Women aren't the only ones who get molested but men as well, just like I stated in my first rebuttal. "As a culture, we’ve somewhat moved past the idea that a female wanted this trauma to occur, but we haven’t moved past that for male survivors,” said Brian Lewis, a rape survivor who served in the Navy. “In a lot of areas of the military, men are still viewed as having wanted it or of being homosexual. That’s not correct at all. It’s a crime of power and control." - Former Navy Petty Officer Third Class Brian Lewis. So again we see its not only women that get raped and sexually assaulted but men to as well, you cannot escape this problem. for if you chose to join the military, you also are going in knowing that major consequences and dangers set aside from fighting. Argument #2 BENEFITS "Regardless of arguments about gender equality, physical ability or mental preparedness, I think this is a step in the right direction. Women have been fighting on increasingly nonlinear battlefields with no front lines for years, and this decision will allow them to be fully and officially recognized for their contributions. Most important, it will also allow them to receive the proper training for the types of combat situations they already “unofficially” find themselves a part of. I thank Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta for this decision, and I especially thank the women of our armed forces for their service to our nation." Some may say the battle field is no place for a women. But some beg to differ. Women joining in the military has major benefits such as learning proper fighting skill and combat skills. The Multiple Benefits: 1) Ability vs Gender. As long as an applicant is qualified for a position, one’s gender is arbitrary. It is easy to recruit and deploy women who are in better shape than many men sent into combat. 2) Military Readiness. Allowing a mixed gender force keeps the military strong. The all-volunteer forces are severely troubled by falling retention and recruitment rates. Widening the applicant pool for all jobs guarantees more willing recruits. Women, who choose to become active combat soldiers, are unlikely to shirk their duty by becoming pregnant after a call-up as these women have willingly joined the army. 3)Modern warfare and public support. In the modern world of combat (Afghanistan, Iraq), all women serving in the military are exposed to “front-line risks”. Support for women serving in the armed forces has not wavered as warfare has changed, a clear sign that the necessity of women serving in combat is recognized. So why not let these women join the frontlines if they wish? There are many benefits for joining, and you can learn allot of specialized skills. Back to pro! Sources: http://www.cnn.com... http://en.wikipedia.org... http://newsarchive.medill.northwestern.edu... http://usnews.nbcnews.com... http://www.nytimes.com... http://sistersinarms.ca...