U.S. Military Commander Stands By Policy Punishing Pregnant Soldiers In Iraq

Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo is standing by a policy of punishing soldiers who become pregnant or impregnate other soldiers under his command in Iraq, despite pressure from female senators to rescind the order, ABC News reports (Netter/Martinez, ABC News, 12/22).

On Tuesday, Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) sent a letter to Cucolo saying that the policy making pregnancy a punishable offense "defies comprehension." The senators said that they understand that Cucolo has pledged not to imprison violators but that the policy nonetheless creates a "threat of criminal sanctions" that go "far beyond what is needed to maintain good order and discipline." They also wrote, "This policy could encourage female soldiers to delay seeking critical medical care with potentially serious consequences for mother and child," adding, "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 independent military newspaper Stars and Stripes first reported the story last week (Gisick et al., Stars and Stripes, 12/23). The policy was put in place in November after Cucolo took command of northern Iraq, which includes some of the most dangerous areas of the country (Ryan, Reuters, 12/23).

Cucolo said Tuesday that soldiers involved in a pregnancy will receive administrative discipline. He added, "I have never considered court martial for this. I do not ever see myself putting a soldier in jail for this." Pregnancy requires female soldiers to leave Iraq, and Cucolo said that he wanted to send a message that "anyone who leaves the fight early creates a burden on their teammates" and that such matters "should have professional consequences" (Stars and Stripes, 12/23). The pregnancy policy is part of a larger order from Cucolo that also bans sexual contact with Iraqis and third-party nationals. The order also applies to civilians under Cucolo's command (ABC News, 12/22).

To date, four female soldiers and three male soldiers have been punished under the policy. All of the female soldiers and two of the male soldiers received letters of reprimand that will not be part of their permanent military file, Cucolo said. The third male soldier, an officer who is married, impregnated a subordinate who is not his wife and was charged with fraternization (Stars and Stripes, 12/23). Cucolo commands 22,000 soldiers, 1,682 of whom are women. Cucolo said that the Army does not provide emergency contraception or abortion services and has no plans to change that policy (ABC News, 12/22).

NPR's "Morning Edition" on Wednesday included a discussion with NPR Pentagon reporter Tom Bowman about the policy (Wertheimer, "Morning Edition," NPR, 12/23).