 draft evasion is an intentional decision not to comply with the military conscription policies of one's nation. such practices that do not involve law breaking or which are based on conscientious objection are sometimes referred to as "draft avoidance." refusing to submit to the draft is considered a criminal offense in most countries where conscription is in effect. those who practice draft evasion are sometimes pejoratively referred to as "draft dodgers", a term which was made popular during the vietnam war. draft evasion is distinct from desertion in that only an active member of a military service can become a deserter by absenting himself or herself from the army without receiving a valid leave of absence or discharge and without any intention of returning to the army. ==avoidance, evasion, resistance and desertion compared== it is possible to draw a contrast between draft evasion and draft avoidance. just as tax avoidance is defined as reducing or eliminating one's tax liability through legal means, draft avoidance is the elimination or mitigation of a potential conscript's military service obligation through some lawful procedure. the vietnam era version of webster's unabridged dictionary (1968) simply defined draft dodger as "one who avoids military service" regardless how it was done."draft dodger". webster's unabridged dictionary. 1968. some means of draft avoidance: * being a conscientious objector, whether one's anti-war sentiment is religious or otherwise. peace churches, such as jehovah's witnesses, mennonites, amish, brethren, christian anarchists, rastafari and quakers, oppose any kind of military service for their members, even in non-combatant fields, but are not opposed to alternative non-uniformed civilian service. note that many people who support conscription will distinguish between "bona fide" conscientious objection and draft dodging, which they view as evasion of military service without a valid excuse. conscientious objection would be considered evasion if the sentiment was not genuine. * seeking excusal from military service due to health reasons - this would be considered evasion if the purported health issue was feigned or overstated. * marrying and/or fathering children, if the military in question will grant deferments to spouses and/or parents. * claiming to be homosexual, when the military in question excludes homosexualsâthis would be considered evasion if the claim was false, but if the potential conscript is in fact a ho
Anti-war Conscription