BAGHDAD: A US commander in northern Iraq does not expect to order a court martial for soldiers who become pregnant, but has not rolled back a controversial new policy on pregnancy, a military spokesman said on Wednesday.
A new directive from Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo, who commands US soldiers in northern Iraq, sets out possible punishments from reprimand to court martial for prohibited behavior, including drinking alcohol, taking drugs or becoming pregnant.
The policy has been criticized by some women’s advocates and on Tuesday four US senators wrote to the Secretary of the US Army on Tuesday asking that it be rescinded.
“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,” Senator Barbara Boxer and others wrote.
Cucolo defended the rules, which took effect for his 22,000 soldiers when he took over in northern Iraq in November, as necessary to retain combat power as US forces prepare to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011.
Cucolo’s command includes some of the most dangerous areas of Iraq, where ethnic and sectarian rivalries have fueled an ongoing insurgency. Military spokesman Major Jeff Allen said Cucol had clarified that he did not intend to court martial any of his soldiers who became pregnant.
