Getting Pregnant Is An Occupational Hazard for a Soldier

on October 7, 2011 at 8:23 PM

women in military It doesn't surprise me that 12 British servicewomen have been sent home from Afghanistan for getting pregnant this year. If anything, 12 seems like a rather low number. The British Ministry of Defense apparently warns against sexual relations between troops, but there's no official rule against it.

Honestly, even if there was an official rule against troops hooking up, is it realistic to believe that soldiers would just abstain from sex during long, harrowing deployments? I can't think of another gig that lists celibacy as a job requirement, apart from being a priest or a nun (and we know how well that arrangement works out for the clergy!).

I understand that the military demands more from its members than most professions, but soldiers are, after all, only human.

Women in every walk of life get pregnant unexpectedly and end up quitting jobs or dropping out of grad school or otherwise rearranging their previous plans as a result. Of course the frontlines are not appropriate place for mothers-to-be, but I still don't like the underlying implication of reports like this one: We told you women shouldn't be fighting wars! See, now they're going out there and getting pregnant!

Yes, women and men are going to do the same job differently. But that's okay, because people and performances can be different and still be equal.

It would be interesting to find out how many servicemen were sent home over the past year for male-specific physical conditions. I have a feeling that somehow, gender limitations do end up balancing out.

Does it surprise you that women get sent home from war pregnant?

Image via Expert Infantry/Flickr

About the author Jacqueline Burt

has written for numerous magazines, newspapers, and websites. She is easily bored and often tired, so she requires constant entertainment to keep her awake. Dance, Monkey! Dance!

RaeAnne.USAF

on Oct 7, 2011 at 8:34 PM

It's mostly to protect the child. But in the US military it is against the UCMJ to have sex in a war zone, no matter te sex of the persons involved or their relationship (yes including military to military married couples) so when a women finds out she's pregnant in a war zone if the child was conceived there or she knowly went while pregnant she will get in trouble. And yes if she names the father he will as well.

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meatball77

on Oct 7, 2011 at 9:04 PM

Twelve is a large amount of women to get pregnant. The military provides free birth control (even in theater). If you use birth control then you don't get pregnant. It's pretty simple. I'd bet a large number of those girls are getting pregnant on purpose so they can go home.

Facebook comment from Billie Jo Evans

on Oct 7, 2011 at 9:06 PM

I don't know how they do things in the AF, but in the army they house married couples together which means they're not keeping them from having sex which basically they shouldn't. Females, married or unmarried, should be doing all they can to keep themselves from getting pregnant, being in the middle of a war is not the time or place to conceive, and these males who are boinking every female within a 20 mile radius of themselves need to make sure they're wrapping it up, you don't know how many other soldiers that chick's been with. We had a chick who had I don't know how many abortions because she was sleeping with everyone and kept getting pregnant. Then she went all crazy on one guy because he didn't want a relationship with her, she stabbed him in the heart killing him.

Facebook comment from Lisa Moore

on Oct 7, 2011 at 9:40 PM

It doesnt suprise me that they get sent home. What I dont understand is why they get pregnant in the first place. Why would you work so hard (and trust me its hard) to get to that place of accomplishment and then put yourself at risk. It doesnt make sense. And men can get in trouble for having sex while deployed also so it does work both ways.

SandMsMama

on Oct 7, 2011 at 9:55 PM

barracks.whores. end of story.

Nonmember comment from vulcanarcher

on Oct 7, 2011 at 10:15 PM

I think this has less to do with what we perceive as being "equal" and much more about simple biology. When pregnancies happen, women are the ones who are pregnant, not men. When women become pregnant, then whether they like it or not, they are responsible for the fetus. The first duty of a soldier is to protect citizens. That child the woman is carrying is a citizen, and must be protected. Also, a woman's body changes as it goes through the pregnancy...that would most certainly affect physical performance in what is a very physical job. It's absolutely reasonable, and unsurprising that women were sent home.

douxmusique

on Oct 7, 2011 at 10:20 PM

It kind of makes sense to send them home doesn't it? 1. They j ow the repercussions. A wardrobe is no place to get knocked up. And 2. Not safe environment for the baby.

Barracks whore? How about barracks male whore? Theyre all capable of it, not just the girls. Double standard?

Nonmember comment from blh

on Oct 7, 2011 at 10:35 PM

It doesn't surprise me but I think its unacceptable. For one you need to make sure you don't get pregnant. If you get free bc whys it so hard? But honestly I think in a war zone you should be focusing on your job not boinking every thing in sight. This goes for men and women. And they obviously have to get sent home...that's not a job to do while you're pregnant.

Facebook comment from Amanda Ince-simonsen

on Oct 8, 2011 at 12:11 AM

seriously? I have 3 kids from 2 different types of birth control, each used to every specification. Don't tell me birth control never fails. 1 the pill, 1 foam/inserts of spermicide, 1 iud.

reikiharmony

on Oct 8, 2011 at 1:04 AM

Is this a joke? Seriously? I really would like to believe that this was a piece written for sensationalism and attention. Females getting pregnant are one of the multitudes of reasons that women in the service have to fight so hard for respect. They fall into two categories: 90 percent are too dumb to remember how to breathe and are scum of the earth and have literally spoken of getting pregnant intentionally to avoid deployments and, therefore, make it harder for the 10 percent that are outstanding and actually in the service for legitimate reasons and working hard to advance in their careers.