Military Conscientious Objector Act (MCOA)

This Congress may well be the best chance we have to bring the MCOA to the fore. The MCOA provides several fundamental changes in the law concerning conscientious  objector discharge from the military.  Three principle ones are:

• The Act will make CO recognition law, rather than regulation that the military can suspend at will as they did during the Gulf War.
• The Act will make CO discharge more consistent with all early military discharges–the commanding officer will make the decision without having to be second guessed by the chain of command except in an appeal of a denial.  This is the case for all discharges other than medical now.
• The Act will provide recognition not only for those completely opposed to warfare in all forms, but also for selective COs who follow the principles of the Just War theory.  This allows recognition of the beliefs of all faith, moral, and ethical traditions rather than accommodate only the beliefs of minority sects which hold that all wars are immoral.

The success of this measure depends on a focused and sustained effort by not only the Center on Conscience & War, but also by our supporters.  The Truth Commission on Conscience in War, in conjunction with Christian Peace Witness and CCW, has and will be engaged in bringing the issue of moral injury and MCOA to regional meetings.  We have developed this webpage to provide you with all the necessary information and knowledge to ensure a successful lobbying visit with your Representative.  Please do not hesitate to contact CCW with any questions you may have in regards to our lobbying efforts and thank you for supporting the Military Conscientious Objector Act.