A new military policy makes it possible for army men and women serving in Iraq to face a court-martial for becoming pregnant or impregnating another solider.
According to Teri Weaver of Stars and Stripes, the policy went into effect on November 4, and calls for military personnel serving in Iraq to face jail time or a court martial for “becoming pregnant, or impregnating a soldier, while assigned to the Task Force Marne (Area of Operations), resulting in the redeployment of the pregnant soldier.”
Apparently, the policy also applies to married couples, who could both face punishment if the woman becomes pregnant while they are at war together.
Army spokesman Major Lee Peters told Stars and Stripes that the policy is designed to prevent pregnancies that may effect a unit’s performance: “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. Another soldier must assume the pregnant soldier’s responsibilities.”
So far, no one has been punished as a result of this new policy.
