Pregnant G.I.’s Could Be Punished
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 19, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) — An 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 female battlefield soldiers who become pregnant and the male soldiers who impregnate them.
Civilians reporting to General Cucolo also could face criminal prosecution under the guidelines.
An Army spokesman, George Wright, said battlefield soldiers who became pregnant were typically sent home. But it is not an Army-wide policy to punish them under the military’s legal code, he said.
However, division commanders like General Cucolo have the authority to impose these type of restrictions to soldiers under their command, Mr. Wright said.
General Cucolo oversees forces in northern Iraq, an area that includes the cities of Kirkuk, Tikrit and Mosul. His Nov. 4 order was first reported by the military newspaper Stars and Stripes.
General Cucolo’s order outlines some 20 banned activities, most aimed at keeping order and preventing criminal activity, like selling a weapon or taking drugs.
But other restrictions seemed aimed at preventing soldiers from leaving their unit short-handed, including becoming pregnant or having elective surgery that would prevent their deployment.
Under General 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 expressly permitted to do so.
Originally Posted by Bourbon St Sooner
