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American soldiers in northern Iraq who get pregnant or who impregnate another soldier face court martial and fines, even if married to each other.
The order effects soldiers in the region that includes Kirkuk, Tikrit, Balad, Mosul and Samarra and applies not only to to U.S. military personnel but also civilians serving with them.
The rule, set by the region’s commander, Maj. General Anthony Cucolo III, means that a husband and wife who are at war together could both be punished, Army spokesman Maj. Lee Peters told Stars & Stripes.
No one has yet been punished or accused under the policy, which went into effect November 4. Maj. Peters explained it this way:
“The redeployment of the pregnant soldier creates a void in the unit and has a negative impact on the unit’s ability to accomplish its mission,” Peters said. “Another soldier must assume the pregnant soldier’s responsibilities.”
