Soldiers (and their husbands) to be jailed for becoming pregnant

[Crystallized]

This went into effect on Nov. 4 and is completely repulsive to me. What do you think?

Serving U.S troops could face prison if they fall pregnant while active | Mail Online



A top US commander is threatening soldiers who fall pregnant on active service with jail.

Under the new policy, troops expecting a baby face court martial and a possible prison term – and so do the men who made them pregnant.

And the rule applies to married couples at war together, who are expected to make sure their love lives do not interfere with duty.

Usual US Army policy is to send pregnant soldiers home from combat zones within 14 days. But Major General Anthony Cucolo, who runs US operations in northern Iraq, issued the new orders because he said he was losing too many women with critical skills.

He needed the threat of court martial and jail time as an extra deterrent, he said.

All troops under his command are covered by the extension to the military’s legal code – the first time the US Army has made pregnancy a punishable offence.

I've got a mission to do, I'm given a finite number of soldiers with which to do it and I need every one of them,' Maj Gen Cucolo said.
'So I'm going to take every measure I can to keep them all strong, fit and with me for the twelve months we are in the combat zone.'
Married soldiers on active service should either put their love lives on hold or take precautions. It was a 'black and white' issue, he said.
Legal experts said the policy raised serious ethical questions.

'Here you really have issues that go to the core of personal integrity: reproductive rights,' said Eugene Fidell, who teaches military law at Yale Law School and is president of America’s National Institute of Military Justice.
The prohibition was fraught with 'a mare’s nest of legal, ethical and policy issues' highlighting the discord between personal autonomy and military needs, he said.

'You have to assume it’s in response to a number of incidents that have caused female GIs to be sidelined at a time when they can’t be spared.' Maj Gen Cucolo commands the US Army’s division north in Iraq, including Balad, Mosul, Tikrit, Samarra and Kirkuk.

Court martial for pregnancy is not an Army-wide policy but division commanders have the authority to impose such restrictions, a Pentagon spokesman said.

Under Maj Gen Cucolo's order, troops also are prohibited from 'sexual contact of any kind' with Iraqi nationals.

And they cannot spend the night with a member of the opposite sex, unless married or with express permission.

The order outlines 20 barred activities, mostly to keep order and stem criminal activity, such as selling a weapon or taking drugs.

But other restrictions aim to stop soldiers leaving their unit short- handed, including becoming pregnant or undergoing elective surgery that would prevent their deployment.

The order does not specify how long any jail term should be.

'When a soldier becomes pregnant or causes a soldier to become pregnant through consensual activity, the redeployment of the pregnant soldier creates a void in the unit and has a negative impact on the unit’s ability to accomplish its mission,' an Army spokesman said.

'Another soldier must assume the pregnant soldier’s responsibilities.'
British Army policy is to send pregnant troops home, a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said.

[nateNnatsmommy]

This ought to be interesting

[awainwright]

My brother is deployed right now and he has a bumper sticker on his FB profile that says "i gave up my sex life for your freedom" or something like that. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a woman to do everything she can to insure she will be able to do the job she signed up for to the best of her abillity. The rules are just different in the military. I don't know what the answer is though, mandating birth control (there's side effects/risks with all medical intervention) or prohibiting marital relations? or are we only punishing women who get pregnant who didn't take the precautions? too many grey areas I guess.

[SweetLexie520]

I saw this yesterday. It looks like the General has already said he'll be personally reviewing each occurrence on a case-by-case basis. I guess like 8 fmeail GIs have already violated it, and 4 received written reprimands. No one's been jailed yet.

I have a feeling it's more about trying to get soldiers' attention about putting the service first. But yeah... a hornet's nest has been opened for sure!

[SweetLexie520]

And note to the OP: In the subject line you have that husbands could be jailed, too, but the part about punishing men who get female GIs pregnant (as I understand it) is only directed toward male GIs who get female GIs pregnant. I'm pretty sure the military can't court-martial a civilian.

[foggierbard9]

I took the article to mean that those female GI's that are deployed to combat zone with their spouses, or those that are on the "road to war" who get pregnant. If they get pregnant then there will be "consequences". Maybe he wants to punish all females that are on active duty that get pregnant, but I don't think that is what the original intention of the new "rule".

[poorolrich]

I read that if a female soldier gets pregnant to GET OUT of serving in a war zone then she will be punished, as she should in my opinion but only if she did it on purpose. If a male soldier got her pregnant and their was collusion between them then he should also be punished. If a husband gets his wife pregnant, a female soldier, in my opinion nothing will happen. The service ain't civilian life. The service people, at least the ones who serve in combat outfits, have, or should have, a different calling than the office types that serve. Now, that being said, I am sure there are many service people that have that calling also. I know I would not have wanted to serve, in a combat zone, with anybody that did not have that calling. There is/was too much at stake to not know if that person next to you was going to be there tomorrow or not. There is an extraordinary amount of trust that a front-line soldier needs to have with his/her other soldiers to get the job done and, most importantly, too stay a live. Being a soldier, in a combat zone, is not a walk in the park and shouldn't be treated as such!!

[Crystallized]

And note to the OP: In the subject line you have that husbands could be jailed, too, but the part about punishing men who get female GIs pregnant (as I understand it) is only directed toward male GIs who get female GIs pregnant. I'm pretty sure the military can't court-martial a civilian.

Yeah, the article wasn't too clear on how they were treating the males. This line, in particular was ambiguous: "Under the new policy, troops expecting a baby face court martial and a possible prison term – and so do the men who made them pregnant."

[SweetLexie520]

Yeah, the article wasn't too clear on how they were treating the males. This line, in particular was ambiguous: "Under the new policy, troops expecting a baby face court martial and a possible prison term – and so do the men who made them pregnant."

I wonder if they're seeing that a lot - a male and female soldier doing that on purpose just to get out... :sad:

[Crystallized]

I wonder if they're seeing that a lot - a male and female soldier doing that on purpose just to get out... :sad:

It's sad all around, and I understand the military trying to deter it from happening, but imprisonment isn't the answer. Discharge them or withhold benefits maybe, but jail? Really? Especially if it's a married couple...which would mean the newborn would likely go into foster care. (!!!)

It's just wrong, on so many levels, in my opinion. Are we really OK with allowing our government to be in control of our reproductive rights? This wouldn't be seen as acceptable/legal in any other "career" in America.