Pregnant Soldiers Face Court Martial

Honestly, this whole situation is a mess. You can't be pregnant...you can't get an abortion. That's too much control over people's bodies. The military needs to revise a lot of their policies becuase people are not going to join if they feel they won't be respected.

And there have been reports of female soldiers giving themselves abortions while on tour overseas thanks to the complete lack of access, and the stigma attached with being sent home for pregnancy.

Scary and sad... and dangerous.

My friend was a nurse with the Navy stationed in Baghdad. She said there is a strict policy against fornication on the bases and that to get around it, the military personel would have sex in the portapotties (which is disgusting).

She said there were women who would get pregnant over there just so that they could be sent home. She also said that she had to treat women who would get severely sick with infections after trying to perform the abortions on their own because they feared getting in trouble for getting pregnant since it meant they had broke the law by fornicating.

It's just a mess all around. I do understand why pregnancy should be avoided. They are in a military combat situation and a pregnant woman requires increased care and is more susceptible to harm. So it does impact their ability to perform their duties.

There just is no easy solution to this problem, especially with people being forced to do back to back tours of duty and spending more and more time overseas.

I think every possible step should be taken to avoid pregnancy. Accidents happen, but it's all too common for female servicemembers to use pregnancy as a means to weasel out of deployments. Sad, but true. And since both servicemembers would be courtmartialed, I don't see this as particularly sexist.

What about all those women that face rape while serving? It happens all the time and it is certainly not their fault if they get pregnant with an illegitimate child

I agree with Running. Iraq, as I understand it, is one of the first American wars where women can be in ground combat. You just can't do that if you're pregnant.

My dad got his gynecology degree in the Navy. In his experience, this problem is more widespread than one would think. It does stink of a bit of sexism, but that's really a secondary concern here, in my opinion. I can understand court martial being a punishment.

I wonder if it's possible for these soldiers to get birth control through the militarist health care system while they are there?

SKG - my friend told me BC is available - it's free for those who want it.

I agree with spacekatgal. Being pregnant and fighting a war don't go together, specially if people are using it to get out of war. I think that this is just a way to control those women that get pregnant to get out of war.

This is still sexism because the women pay a higher price for pregnancy than men. What about in cases where the woman does not know or want to admit who the father is? Then she alone faces the impact of both of their actions. If she is unsure who the father is, then that cannot be determined until the child is born anyway. I am sure that there are some cases in which the woman does it intentionally in order to get out of deployment, but why should all women be punished just because of some? Does anyone even consider the stressful and harmful effects all of this will have on the mother and her unborn baby? Is pregnancy acceptable if the woman is married? If so, this is simply punishing women for having children out of wedlock. And that is most certainly sexist. Why would a military hospital not be allowed to perform abortions? Is it because they take some sort of religious stance that disagrees with abortion? How or when did the military have the right to take a moral and religious stance on women's rights?

What about court martial in the face of rape and resultant pregnancy? Being a woman in combat over there seems rough and I highly respect anyone that signs up for it. Sadly there is also a culture of sexual aggression our female soldiers face that the military has also not been able to get a handle on.

A woman who does not know or refuses to share who the father is will obviously be court martialed solely, Janine. And I don't see what the problem is there. She knew it was against the rules to have sex to begin with, the difference being it was a pregnancy that got her caught instead of in-action. As far as married servicemembers go, it's very rare to have the spouses at the same station in a warzone, so she would also be violating the military's rules against adultry... that's another court-martial offense.
I don't agree with how the military treats abortions, but I don't see how court martialing a woman who made the decision to become pregnant in a warzone is such a travesty. Do the crime, do the time

Wow, way to offer options, US military. Yet another reason that I will not be serving in the military any time soon. They certainly don't make it welcoming to women.

I don't understand the anti-abortion stance. If they're that against women being sent home for becoming pregnant, you'd think they'd be a little more open to abortion as an option.

I think people really need to learn to control their behavior and there's little excuse for accidentally getting pregnant with all the bc options out there, but peoples is peoples. They signed up for this, they know the rules, they break the rules, there should be consequences.

". . .the military personel would have sex in the portapotties (which is disgusting)."

The army does it while they are on patrol! Don't even get me started on that rant.

This is BS, what would happen if a women is home on leave and has sex with her husband/bf and the condom breaks/BC doesn't work(which does happen) then what. She didn't get pregnant intentionally, I think it's wrong to court Marshall just for getting pregnant they should just let the women take leave until after they deliver and after a maternity leave then go back and finish out their tour. Wouldn't that make more sense then humiliating them for no valid reason (which from what I understand is what Court Marshall does to soldiers)

I can understand threatening women with a court marshall to discourage pregnancy, but they have to allow abortions. Why should they go overseas and fight for our rights as American women when they can't even enjoy the same rights.

Im in the NAVY and there is no rule against fornication in the military, the only time you would get in trouble for having sex while not being married would be if you did it with someone that's higher rank than you are or if you were enlisted and hooked up with an officer. Other than that, there are no serious penalties. Maybe the reason this was made punishable was because a lot of females get pregnant to get out being stationed in stressful duty stations, but im sure there are some rules to how this works, maybe it applies to females that are in Iraq and maybe possibly getting pregnant on purpose. At the same time, the military meddles too much sometimes on what the soldiers should do with their personal life which is their own business, i feel sometimes that people are treated like assets and not actual people, mission comes first, then the sailor/marine,etc.

"Under his rule, both female soldiers and their male accomplices can face court martial for a pregnancy."

I'm glad they're looking at both sides.

It sounds completely fair to me. Those women knew what they signed up for! I think people complain way too much about things in the army.. they completely forget it's a job they signed up for!

Also, Plan B. Think about it. Who wouldn't get it if, especially if they were raped?

There are many things you can do to avoid getting pregnant, and if these people don't even want to put that much effort into it, then they deserve losing their job over it. That's really all it is, it's not the end of their life. I have very very little compassion for this lady.

Diamond are you in the military? Have you ever been deployed? I have/am. We have 5 married couples in shared housing (in my task force) so you were wrong that it is uncommon.Many of the non married females have been dating there also deployed boyfriends long before they ever got deployed, should they ignore each other for a year? Have you ever dated someone you worked with? Or gone without sex for 18 months? Adding to that the stress of being away from home and family, the chance of dying and overall other stresses that come from being deployed. Sometimes having someone to share the time with makes being one of few females in a unit that actually leave the wire, less depressing and makes them feel less suicidal. I have 3 females in my group, one is married and lives with her husband, one is a Lt and therefore offlimits to be friends with as is the other female who's an E6. Friendships are bound to develop with males in those circumstances, which can lead to deeper relationships. I am not dating anyone, but I don't think it is anyone's business for those who are. I know very few females who would ever consider getting knocked up to go home, most those females would have done it not to come. As for not telling who the father is, why should two people get in trouble, obviously you know nothing about loyalty. Accidents happen and if having sex makes being over here easier then so be it. We all know you can get preggers on BC and condoms. It is embarrassing enough to be sent home being called a slut (oh and yse it would happen) without having to worry about getting a dishonorable discharge and never getting a job again. It is very hard being deployed as a female in the military---racism might be gone from the Army, but I doubt sexism ever will. Having every guy look at you as less than any male, feeling worthless, weak and only good as a "moral booster" is hard. The leadership doesn't care if females have sex, they merely do not want the embarrassment and extra work that comes with a pregnancy. Should every guy with porn here get a court martial when caught (as you said do the crime do the time), or alcohol for that matter? Why only this issue? Stop being so judgmental--especially when you have no knowledge of the experience.

As a 26 year Army veteran I want to provide some clarity for those who are not familiar with the military.
First, the military has not taken a stance on abortion. That law was voted on and enacted by congress, not Generals. The military (minus the National Guard) is a federal agency and this rule falls in line with the current health care debate taking place in D.C. today. Currently there is no federal funding for abortion. The military does not have an exception to that law.
Second, there are literally dozens of rights and privileges American civilians enjoy that those who volunteer to serve automatically fore go. For instance, a Soldier loses some of his/her first amendment rights upon volunteering to serve. Both the United States Court of Military Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court have ruled that, "... other considerations must be weighed in military life, and that speech which may undermine the effectiveness of response to command is constitutionally unprotected." U.S. vs Priest.

Unfortunately, there are female Soldiers who intentionally get pregnant to get redeployed out of a combat zone. For each of those who choose to get pregnant while in a combat zone, there is another Soldier enjoying time at home with their family that will get orders to deploy as a replacement for the pregnant Soldier who must now depart. This happens all too often, and how do we justify this to the replacement Soldier? Until now there were no consequences, only rewards, for those who choose to place themselves or their partner in a position that may result in a pregnancy.

To lolita89 who said, "I'm in the NAVY and there is no rule against fornication in the military." That is not a correct statement. I have spent 33 months in Iraq and there ARE rules against cohabitation and intercourse. True, there is no article in the Uniform Code of Military Justice that addresses fornication, but there are articles that address following orders. The Corps Commanders has issued general orders that prohibit cohabitation and intercourse. If yu haven't been there I suggest you comment on what you actually know.

I'd would also like to say that instead of getting upset that a Soldier must contend with rules that are personally inconvenient, but which better provide our Commanders the resources necessary to bring this war to a successful conclusion, you should thank those who willing accept the rules and complete the mission.

Finally, remember it's an all volunteer force. When I enlisted (and re-enlisted) I accepted the fact that I would give up some rights to enhance the discipline of the organization, thus providing a better force to ensure the liberties of our American citizens. Military service isn't for everyone. Those Soldiers who choose to violate orders should have never signed their names on the dotted lines. And those civilians who are unwilling to make certain sacrifices should not enlist. That's okay - just say "Thank you" and appreciate those who do.

Honestly I just don't see the problem in fornicating. It's like any other job. So you get pregnant and you get a maternity leave. I believe that if they try to enforce these rules/laws people will find a way to get around them, and then what? They get serious infections because they have no other choices??? This is ridiculous, and if someone gets pregnant it shouldnt be a problem, it should be beautiful, wonderful thing. I know I'm being a bit ignorant, but I just think this is terrible.

To Janine22 who asked, "Does anyone even consider the stressful and harmful effects all of this will have on the mother and her unborn baby?" (referring to the possible court martial)

We're talking about a soldier on active duty in Northern Iraq.... I tend to think a court martial is going to be the LEAST of your concerns when your life is on the line every minute of every day.

Perhaps this speaks towards why gays should be exempt from harassment & imprisonment... Don't think pregnancy is on their minds when fighting the enemy. But that's another topic entirely.
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In a way, this is NOT surprising to me - sad, but not a surprise. Remember the '90's & "Tailhook"? If not, here's the link for what was one of the most unsettling scandals in military history...
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailhook_scandal

Well this is my situation, i've been in the navy 2 years and im in a relationship with someone at work, not just a fellow sailor but someone who actually works with me in the same command under the same leadership. My chief knows about our relationship and im sure so does the rest of the chain of command. We have never got in trouble for it, we always act professional and our relationship never gets between our work, we are both the same rank. We've been together for almost 2 years now and obviously we're intimate. Maybe they are more strict in the army about the type of relationships members can have but we've had no problems, also we're not the only couple at work and there are some that live together out of town and are not married.

Here's a novel idea, don't have sex. You are there to serve your country. If you sign up for this you know the rules. If you can't live up to it, don't sign up.

Not sure if everyone has heard, but this doesn't apply anymore. Not even a week after this was released, they changed it.