Pregnant soldiers could face court-martial

[Kadie]

Pregnant soldiers could face court-martial
By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer

Friday, December 18, 2009


(12-18) 14:27 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --

A U.S. Army general in northern Iraq has added pregnancy to the list of reasons a soldier under his command could be court-martialed.

The new policy, outlined last month by Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo and released Friday by the Army, would apply to both female soldiers who become pregnant on the battlefield and the male soldiers who impregnate them.

Civilians reporting to Cucolo also could face criminal prosecution under the new guidelines.

Army spokesman George Wright said the service typically sends home from the battlefield soldiers who become pregnant. But it is not an Army-wide policy to punish them under the military's legal code, he said.

However, division commanders like Cucolo have the authority to impose these type of restrictions to personnel operating under their command, Wright said.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/12/18/national/w142710S58.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0a5LiNhNf

[rd_kent]

1. Nothing new here.

Been that way for a long long time. No sex on ships, no sex on the battlefield. Pretty simple rule.

[provis99]

2. this is unfair.

If a woman is impregnated by either a fellow soldier or a civilian, she will be court-martialled. But the male soldier will be court-martialled only if he impregnates a female soldier, and not a civilian. What a stupid, stupid policy.

[rd_kent]

Its about sex, not preganancy.

And unless you get caught in the act, getting pregnant is the only evidence that sex occurred.

[TheDebbieDee]

12. It's about female soldiers getting pregnant to avoid or shorten

their tours to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Females soldiers did it during the Persian Gulf War and female soldiers are still doing it.

[NutmegYankee]

4. Not to start a fight - But, soldiers are harder to come by...

Sending a soldier home deprives you of that manpower as a fighting force, while a civilian normally serves in a support role. Also, the civilian doesn't fall within the much stricter rules of the military. A relationship with a civilian isn't as grave a violation as relations between two soldiers.

[etherealtruth]

3. Obviously, more important than that "pesky little" rape problem!

:(

[LeftyMom]

5. So they're going to prosecute any guy who tests positive for an STD while deployed too, right?

Let's just say if I were a betting girl I would not be putting money on a fair and non-sexist application of this policy. ;)

[katandmoon]

6. Why any woman would sign up for the male insanity known as the military is beyond me, anyway.

[mddem9850]

7. just ridiculous

[rd_kent]

9. Yes, it is ridiculous that soldiers dont follow orders.

[damntexdem]

8. And will the sperm donors also be court martialed?

And if the woman soldier goes on and has the baby, will the baby be prosecuted?

[Boojatta]

10. The headline could be: "Make war, not love."

[walldude]

11. LOL... as crappy as this story is.. that was funny...