The U.S. military has dropped a controversial rule that called for punishing soldiers in northern Iraq for becoming pregnant or impregnating another soldier. The updated policy “does not include a pregnancy provision,” said Maj. Joe Scrocca, spokesman for U.S. Forces-Iraq. The military also said that any unit must get the permission of the commander of U.S. Forces-Iraq before creating new rules restricting the activity of troops, Scrocca said. Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo created the rule about pregnancy, covering 22,000 people under his command in northern Iraq, including 1,682 women. Cucolo said he designed the rule to make his soldiers “think before they act.” It prohibited “becoming nondeployable for reasons within the control of the soldier,” including “becoming pregnant or impregnating a soldier … resulting in the redeployment of the pregnant soldier.” Cucolo made the rule part of General Order No. 1. While violation of any rules in the general order could lead to court-martial, Cucolo insisted that he never intended such a drastic punishment for pregnancy. All units have a general order that outlines a code of conduct.

Original Source of U.S. military drops ban on soldiers getting pregnant