Women military members sue Pentagon
Women make up 14% of our U.S. military, but they're still not allowed in combat. Four women along with the ACLU are now suing the Pentagon to lift that ban.
They hope the move adds just enough pressure as officials gauge what effect lifting the ban would have on troop morale.
KTRH News spoke to one woman who served in the Army Reserves, and says the ban not only keeps women from being promoted, it violates their equal rights.
"If I was physically and mentally equal to the men who were doing that job, then absolutely, as a woman I should be able to do it," she said.
South Texas College of Law's Gerald Treece agrees, but says the courts may not.
"I think they will eventually succeed in their mission to end this discrimination," says Treece. "But I think in the short-term, the courts are not going to be that favorably disposed to them."
Treece says the military will likely come around, just not anytime soon.
"No matter if these women win or lose, I do think they'll lose, they will at least inform Congress of a problem," he says. "The same way we now have women at all the service academies, it's a slow process to end that type of discrimination."
The Pentagon argues it already has opened 14,000 combat positions to women, mainly remote-controlled drone missions. The plaintiffs argue that's still not enough.
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