"Pregnant US Soldiers" in Iraq Could Face Jail Time

[seahorse]

(ME:I am speechless) 

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Nation

Pregnant US Soldiers in Iraq Could Face Jail Time



Dec. 20) -- Members of the military who become pregnant while serving in northern Iraq now face the possibility of a court-martial or jail time, Stars and Stripes newspaper reports.

Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo III, who oversees the area that includes Kirkuk, Tikrit, Mosul and Samarra, set a policy in place last month that makes pregnancy a punishable offense. The rule applies to anyone who becomes pregnant or impregnates another service member, even if they are married.

Standard military policy calls for a pregnant soldier to be removed from the battle area within two weeks.

The northern Iraq policy, which was reviewed by military attorneys, takes that a step farther.

"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," Army spokesman Maj. Lee Peters told the newspaper.


http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=66764

http://www.sphere.com/nation/article/pregnant-us-soldiers-in-iraq-could-face-court-marshal/19288447
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[seahorse]

The Maj. General is right.  When I lived on a military base females would get pregnant not to be deployed overseas to Germany.

This is not a new technique of getting pregnant to get out of something...what is the solution?

I have two suggestions:

1.  When the female recruit raises her right hand to take the oath "they need to swear not to get pregnant" or lose their benefits
     and pay, if they do get pregnant. This is an extremely serious matter, apparently, the military has not set females straight
     and it because, apparently, it has become a full blow issue. The female recruits need to know Country comes FIRST!



2.  Go back to all female army, female barracks and female missions...was this a problem during WW2?

Females grew up with a Barbie doll, boy's grew up with GI Joe, you can't make a man out of a woman, that is how I see it.

[seahorse]

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/general-backs-off-threat-court-martial-pregnant-soldiers/story?id=9399604


Jail is a bit much. The Maj. General has a good point.  How can he run a war when women are pregnant and throwing up?

My opinion...Females do not belong in combat, country comes first, baby after they ETS. 

When soldiers are pregnant, who does their jobs? no one? Does everyone suffer because GI Jane is pregnant?


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Home > World News

Senators Demand General Rescind Order on Pregnant Soldiers

Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo: 'I Do Not Ever See Myself Putting a Soldier in Jail for This'

By SARAH NETTER and LUIS MARTINEZ
Dec. 22, 2009


Four Democratic senators have written a letter to an Army general in Iraq asking him to rescind an order that threatened to court martial female soldiers who become pregnant while deployed in the war zone.


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Army general in Iraq issues an order making pregnancy a punishable offense.The policy by Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo III was instituted on Nov. 4, but it has triggered outrage among women's groups since it became publicly known in recent days.

"We can think of no greater deterrent to women contemplating a military career than the image of a pregnant woman being severely punished simply for conceiving a child," the senators wrote to Cucolo today. "This defies comprehension. As such, we urge you to immediately recind this policy."

The letter was signed by Sens. Barbara Boxer of California, Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.

It was the latest salvo to hit Cucolo over the controvesial policy. Earlier the National Organization for Women called the policy "ridiculous."

"How dare any government say we're going to impose any kind of punishment on women for getting pregnant," NOW President Terry O'Neill said. "This is not the 1800s."

O'Neill said NOW would turn to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and even President Obama for help.

Watch "World News with Diane Sawyer" at 6:30 p.m. ET today for more on Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo's restriction on pregnancy in Iraq.

Even before the senators took aim at Cucolo's policy, the general had backed away from his threat today to court martial women under his command who got pregnant. His policy statement said violation of the rule would also apply to the men who get female soldiers pregnant, even if the couple is married.

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http://abcnews.go.com/WN/general-backs-off-threat-court-martial-pregnant-soldiers/story?id=9399604