Pregnant Pause: “Thou shall not procreate.”
In the U.S. Army, married sex is okay, but conception is not, at least not while deployed in Iraq. An Army commander, Maj. Gen Tony Cuculo, has issued a general order, prohibiting sperm in his sector in Iraq (Multi-division north, from comingling with enemy eggs in any ovaries under his command.
Already seven U.S. soldiers, including three men, have been punished under six-week-old rules making pregnancy a violation of military law in northern Iraq, according to a story in Stars and Stripes.
Uh.. yeah. So far four women who have become pregnant have been given letters of reprimand, along with two male soldiers. One married guy apparently violated the new military order with a subordinate who was not his wife. He’s in more trouble.
The effect of pregnancy on military readiness was the subject of scholarly paper written by one Army Major Merideth A. Bucher, for the Air Command And Staff College Air University back in 1991.
“As a female soldier I have often felt the pressure to avoid having children for the sake of my career. I have always placed the needs of the Army before my own but someday I too hope to become a parent. And when I do, I hope to find a maternity leave program in place that will support my absence from my unit.”
This was before the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but after Desert Shield/Storm in 1991. In her paper, entitled, “The Impact Of Pregnancy On U.S. Army Readiness”, Maj. Bucher wrote, ” There are three truths that must be stated before progressing further. First, pregnancy is a female issue. There is no bias in this statement, only fact, and women must bear the burdens associated with it. Second, pregnancy is preventable and therefore cannot be compared to the readiness problems caused by long-term illnesses or injuries. Those issues and possible solutions must be addressed separately. Finally, if pregnancy rates are static and relatively predictable, they can be planned for at the Army level.”
So far no other battlefield commander has criminalized impregnation of one’s lawful spouse… but as the legendary Marine Lt. Gen Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller is reputed to have responded when asked by a PFC for permission to marry, ““Son, when the Marine Corps wants you to have a wife, you will be issued one.”
Meanwhile, maybe its time for “SCI,” the strategic condom initiative.
Should impregnators and pregnant soldiers face courts-martial?
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