U.S. soldiers in Iraq could face courts-martial for getting pregnant

[Dizz28]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/12/21/ira...ncy/index.html

Washington (CNN) -- A new order from the general in charge of U.S. troops in northern Iraq makes getting pregnant or impregnating a fellow soldier an offense punishable by court-martial.

The directive, part of a larger order restricting the behavior of the 22,000 soldiers under Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo's command, is meant to prevent losing soldiers at a time when troop strength is stretched thin, Cucolo explained in a statement sent to the troops under his command and provided to CNN.

"I need every soldier I've got, especially since we are facing a drawdown of forces during our mission," Cucolo wrote. "Anyone who leaves this fight earlier than the expected 12-month deployment creates a burden on their teammates. Anyone who leaves this fight early because they made a personal choice that changed their medical status -- or contributes to doing that to another -- is not in keeping with a key element of our ethos."

The rule, enacted November 4, was first reported by Stars and Stripes, a military-focused publication. It prohibits "becoming nondeployable for reasons within the control of the soldier," which include "becoming pregnant, or impregnating a soldier ... resulting in the redeployment of the pregnant soldier."

Pregnancy that arises from sexual assault would not be punished, Cucolo said.

The directive applies to all military and civilians serving under Cucolo in northern Iraq, an area that includes Balad, Kirkuk, Tikrit, Mosul and Samarra, according to the Web site of Multi-National Force Iraq.

Of the 22,000 people under Cucolo's command, 1,682 are women.

Cucolo will decide what cases will be pursued.

"I am the only individual who passes judgment on these cases. I decide every case based on the unique facts of each soldier's situation," Cucolo wrote in his explanation of the new rules.

Cucolo said he considers his female soldiers "invaluable" and he wants to ensure they fulfill their deployments.

"I am responsible and accountable for the fighting ability of this outfit. I am going to do everything I can to keep my combat power -- and in the Army, combat power is the individual soldier," his statement said. "To this end, I made an existing policy stricter. I wanted to encourage my soldiers to think before they acted, and understand their behavior and actions have consequences -- all of their behavior."

In an e-mail to CNN, Cucolo stressed the rule "is just a small part of a general policy on behavior and actions," and is "lawful."

The memo outlines a long list of behaviors that are prohibited, from gambling and using drugs to behaviors that would offend Iraqis, such as entering a mosque or religious site unless "required by military necessity."

While the rules may seem unusual to some, they are not out of line with how the military regulates behavior to a much stricter degree than the general public is used to, said Eugene Fidell, who teaches military law at Yale University.

"Questions of personal autonomy play out differently in the military," Fidell said.

He said the purpose of the rule is mostly to have a "chilling effect" on behavior, but he doubts it would ever be fully prosecuted. If it were, however, it appears to be legal, he said.

"If push came to shove and there was prosecution, I think the rule would be upheld as a reasonable balance of the competing interests," he said.

It is not without precedent, Fidell said. During the Vietnam War, a female troop would be discharged for getting pregnant. That rule was challenged, but the government did not want to defend it at the time.

According to the explanation of the policy that was sent to all those affected, only a few cases have been considered for punishment under the new rules. Four soldiers have gotten pregnant since Cucolo took over command of northern Iraq operations at the beginning of November, he told CNN in an e-mail. Of the eight soldiers involved, none were court-martialed. Instead, all received a written reprimand, Cucolo said.

In one case, a male soldier received the "most severe punishment," according to the explanation sent to those serving in northern Iraq. Cucolo does not give any other details about the case except to say the soldier "committed adultery as well."

[Dizz28]

Great, Sex is and was never allowed in a combat zone in the first place. A select few Women in all services intentionally get pregnant to get out of deployments or get a shore duty in the US because they are single mothers. This is no different then breaking your leg to get out of something.

Hold them accountable

[stevey_6t9]

u cant stop them. everyone gets horny. my mate in the navy says theres tonns of skanks on board going around doing the seamen

[Bull_Nuts]

So what if they have...say a tubal ligation...and they still get pregnant. Should they be punished then?

[spywizard]

yes, they should be punished..

yes they should be limited in what they can do..

and yes, it's the same as letting your equipment not be ready to do what you are being paid and were trained to do..

damn it.. don't these women have mouths??

[bass]

military is not a joke, its serious business, many lives are at stake, they need to take all rules seriously, if they lack in one thing they will lack in others then lives will be lost...they should be punished, no one is above the law.

[mario_ps2]

military is not a joke, its serious business, many lives are at stake, they need to take all rules seriously, if they lack in one thing they will lack in others then lives will be lost...they should be punished, no one is above the law.

"no one is above the law" except those who make it... Sad..but true..

Corruption is everywhere my friend.. and they tend to bend and manipulate the rules/laws.

[Kibble]

"no one is above the law" except those who make it... Sad..but true..

Corruption is everywhere my friend.. and they tend to bend and manipulate the rules/laws.

Kinda off topic.......... .......

But since this was bumped, I figured I would add an opinion. Basically, females have been using pregnancy as a trump card to get out of deployment. When a unit of Soldiers deploy, they have a manifest. Every person has a role in the overall picture. When a Soldier gets pregnant, she will be taken out of the Country. Basically on paper, they just lost a Soldier. That Soldier is now useless, so it is like she was killed. Also, the male who impregnated her, contributed to taking her out of the fight. So he should be punished. Even if the pregnancy was unplanned, the soldier is still removed from the roster. So if she did not want to avoid deployment, it is too late.

A majority of girls in Iraq get pregnant, while their husbands are away. They cannot keep their legs closed for 6 months. It is sad actually.
I jacked my ****ing dick off so many times just so that I would not be tempted to cheat on my wife. I never had the urge too. I also bought a Fleshlight for added measure

My wife deployed, and I bought her about 3 Rabbits. She went though about 200 batteries, so I know what she was doing to keep herself busy.

But yeah- those females, and males, should be punished. They are basically causing casualties on the battlefield