Pregnant Soldiers Face Prospect Of Deploying During Infant's First Year, Washington Post Reports

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Article Date: 21 Feb 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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The Washington Post on Monday examined the U.S. Army's pregnancy-related policies and data on pregnancy in the Army. Under the Army's policy, women are allowed six weeks of maternity leave before they must return to their jobs or training and are allowed four months of shore duty after giving birth before being assigned to a war zone, the Post reports. According to the Post, the policy has led to many situations in which female soldiers give birth and are forced to deploy during their infant's first year or lose their jobs.

Women comprise 15% of military personnel, and about 40% have children. About 10% of women in the military become pregnant annually, and an estimated 75,000 children of women in the military are younger than age one, according to the Government Accountability Office. The constraints on pregnancy, child-rearing and family are key factors in the decisions of some women soldiers to quit or not join the Army, Army officials said. Surveys have found that time away from families, caused by long and frequent deployments which can last up to 15 months -- is the main reason military personnel leave the Army. Periodic youth surveys on the "propensity to serve" conducted for the Army have found that the willingness of women to serve in the military decreased from 10% of women and girls ages 16 to 21 in November 2003 to 4% in July 2007.

Gale Pollock, deputy Army surgeon general for force management, said, "Without women, we would not make our volunteer numbers, so if we destroy the interest of women to volunteer it puts us in a particularly bad place because the nation does not want a draft." She added that the Army should "look at the fact that many women want to serve but they also want to be mothers. It's a medical issue, it's a mental health issue. Your ability to bond with your children is ... very important." Pollock said last summer she proposed that the Army double the time women are exempt from deployment from four to eight months, adding that she would prefer a 12-month exemption. "That addresses the need for breast feeding that is important for health and also allows for optimal bonding time," Pollock said.

Cynthia Vaughan, spokesperson for the Army, said the policy remains unchanged. Senior Army officials declined to comment on the reasoning behind the current policy, the Post reports. Other military branches have more generous policies. The U.S. Navy exemption is 12 months, and the U.S. Marine Corps's is six months, and deployments average seven months for both. The U.S. Air Force has a four-month exemption, with deployments averaging four to six months, the Post reports (Tyson, Washington Post, 2/18).

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