25 signatures reached
To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Restricting the age of military enlistment to 21 or older
Recognizing that teenagers should not be asked to make important life decisions that might impact their health and physical safety before their brains are fully able to comprehend the consequences of such decisions, we ask our government to bar enlistment in the military until an individual reaches the age of 21 years old.
Why is this important?
Over the past 20 years, researchers have found strong evidence that the brain's prefrontal cortex — where rational processes such as impulse control and understanding of long-range consequences takes place — was far from fully developed in teenagers. Research also showed that communication between the prefrontal cortex and other parts of the brain continues to improve as teens move into adulthood, affecting functions such as long-term planning, problem-solving and controlling emotions. Research also shows that adding anger, trauma, repeated exposure to violence, or chronic drug or alcohol use to the brain's developmental years will physically affect the brain.
The latest research using MRI scans at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology indicates that the prefrontal cortex as well as other brain functions are not fully developed until the early to mid-20s, and perhaps later in young males. "Consensus is emerging that an 18-year-old is not the same person she or he will be at 25.... They don't look the same, feel the same, think the same, or act the same," writes MIT researcher Rae Simpson.
Simpson says "The brain isn't fully mature at 16, when we are allowed to drive, or at 18, when we are allowed to vote, or at 21, when we are allowed to drink, ...."