a

‘i

C10- Sunday News, Janie 28, 1981 : | |

Thursday upheld malc-only

draft registration, . saying
Congress’ constitutional
power to raise armies allows
it to exclude women from
conscription.

The 6-3 ruling drew im-
mediate criticism from
women’s groups and draft
oppponents and equally
quick praise. from . the
Pentagon and Selective
Service. President Reagan
was said to be “gencrally
pleased” with. the decision.

The high court’ overturned
a ruling by.a special district

court, which invalidated
male-only”™ registration
because it discriminated

against men by excluding
women from the pool of
potential draftees.

Writing for the six-man
majority, Justice William
Rehnquist held the courts
must defer to Congress’

“broad and sweeping” power .

“over national defense and
military affairs, and perhaps
in no other area has the
court accorded Congress
greater deference.”

-The ruling, coming in a

106 West 3rd St
North Van, B C
Phone 084-9741

DEALER FOR

PANORAMA
KITCHENS.

‘‘Eree’’ in-home estimates —

s + we . - - 7
pheey Ae aed vey sweglegseys? 2 88S

WATCHING the boats
. at Ambleside as the day

comes to an end. (Terry
: Peters photo)

Photo Ed. Bermingham os

CAROLYN (JODY)
BARBER of Victoria,
aged 16, a grade 11
pupil at St. Michaels
University School, has
been awarded the
Joseph Cunliffe Schol-
arship for All-Round
Excellence. Jody. who
was this year’s top-
ranking B.C. student of
German, acted in Mr.
Colin Skinner's recent
SMU production of A
Midsummer Night's
Dream; she was on the
SMU girls’ field hock-
ey team which placed
first in its league, and

case started a decade ago by

_ Mietnam” war | protesters,

endorsed Congress’ decision
last year to exclude women
when it authorized renewed
registration of men when
they turn 18.

There is no draft now, but
men are required to fill out
post card forms on reaching
their 18th birthday to create
a manpower pool _ the
government could tap during
an emergency.

The Selective

Service.
System said it expects better. .

the court's thinking.

“The purpose of
registration was to prepare
for a draft of combat troops.
Since women are excluded
from combat, Congress
concluded they would not be
needed in the event of a
draft, and therefore decided
nat to, register them,” the
court said.

Rehnquist, rejecting the
discrimination argument,
said the male-only system
was not

a question of women’s rights | because it

as been avoid

Congress putting an unequal
burden on similar groups.

‘Men and women,
because of combat
restrictions, are simply not
similarly situated for pur-
poses of draft or registration
for a draft,” he said.

American Civil Liberties
spokesman David Landau
protested that reasoning,
saying, “The opinion is very
damaging for civil rights and

ay te

45

creates ~ pational security
exceptions to constitutional
guarantees.”

Ruth J. Hinerfeld,
president of the League of
Women Votets, said the
decision “fosters stereotypes
about rights and respon-
siblities of citizenship.
Under’ the guise of
protecting women, the court
is perpetuating the image of
women as second class
citizens.”

is now training for the
26-mile Victoria Mara-
thon. Jody’s ambition
is to enter medicine at
Queen’s University.
Kingston, Ontario.

For information contact:

John Schaffter,

M.A. (Cantab)
Headmaster,

St. Michaels
University School
3400 Richmond Road
Victoria, B.C. V8P 4P5
Phone: 592-2411

compliance with the
registration law since the -
court bas settled the issue. |.
An Official said only 69 per”
cent of cligible men had’
Signed up in the first three
months of this year.

By law or policy, women
are barred from combat
roles in the armed forces,
and the majority noted
previous high court rulings
upheld military gender
distinctions “in light of
combat restrictions” on
women.

Although the
question was not directly
raised in the case, it was
clearly the tuming point ip

combat

~

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