Military Pregnancy Ban: Jeff Weiss

As I am writing this, Major General Anthony Cucolo is now saying he would never actually seek to jail anyone for being pregnant, but he wants to bring attention to the matter of soldiers not being able to fulfill their deployment due to pregnancy. I understand that the Army needs every soldier they have and that a lot of female soldiers are sent home on maternity leave. However, there has to be some definitive rule – either you are punished or you are not. Major General Cucola apparently wants it both ways. He wants to make a point of the situation by creating an order stating soldiers can be court-marshaled for becoming pregnant or impregnating a fellow soldier, but then says he won't really court-marshal anyone. So what now?

When you enlist in any branch of the military, you give up a lot of everyday freedoms. Everyone who enlists is made aware of the numerous rules and regulations before they sign on the dotted line (and receive their signing bonus). A person's life changes when they enlist. They do as they are told and they adhere to the rules. If they do not comply, they are held responsible. When a person enlists, they are agreeing to serve our country – not to use that time to start a family. I don't think many married couples serve together and even if they do, I can't imagine many of them staring into the Iraqi moonlight and saying, “This is a great time to have a baby!”

The bottom line is that if Major General Cucola wants to make a rule that will stick, he needs to make a realistic punishment that fits the infraction.

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