For the young men who are now turning in their selective service cards at the post office, the idea of a new draft doesn’t seem all that far-fetched. Our country is entrenched in a battle, not only against the Taliban and al Qaeda, but against terrorism worldwide.

That will take incredible resources, both financial and human. And while our military is capable of handling the current situation, no one knows what tomorrow will bring. This new sense of uncertainty is now a part of our reality, where the young men think about what it must be like to be in a war.

But most of the young women don’t have to.

Even if the government decides to start a draft, it would not affect women because they don’t have to sign up for selective service.

Our country harbors an unnecessary paternalistic view of women. Many can’t stand to see them dressed in camouflage and in harm’s way. But when it comes to defending your country, your gender shouldn’t matter. Women in America are just as much citizens as the men, and their obligations to the country in times of war should also be similar.

Many believe that women shouldn’t serve in the military, that they will distract the men, that they do not have the physical capability to fight. Well, if more women serve, more men will be distracted, and yes, many women don’t have the strength and stamina to sit on the front lines, but then again many men don’t either.

The draft might have first been set up to pull men out of the factories and into the trenches, but war has changed. New technologies create the need for many more troops in support positions. Few of the jobs in the military of today need to be gender specific.

And with this realization, the government has no reason to limit selective service to men alone. Women serve in the military, and do so quite successfully. Women have dropped bombs on Afghanistan recently. They serve in every branch. Women fire fighters were in the World Trade Center, women members of the National Guard are stationed in our airports.

Women are fighting this war within the country, and, if needs be, this country can call on its women to fight the war outside of its borders as well.