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Damage Control: Unintended Pregnancy in the United States Military

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Kathryn L. Ponder  and
Melissa Nothnagle
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Extract

Military reproductive health policies affect large numbers of women. In 2006 servicewomen numbered nearly 350,000 and comprised 14.5% of active-duty forces and 17.4% of the reserve force. In addition, approximately 165,000 female dependents of active duty military personnel and 157,000 female dependents of reserve duty personnel are between the ages of 12 and 22 and are eligible for military health care services. Dependents of military personnel are eligible for military health care coverage until age 21, or up to the age of 23 if considered a full-time student.

About 10% of active duty female servicemembers become pregnant each year. Pregnant servicewomen are considered non-deployable and are usually not assigned to overseas commands. Pregnant women in the Army, the service branch with the greatest number of women on active duty, can choose to remain on active duty, request temporary leave from service, or request separation from service. Separation options include either discharge, honorable or uncharacterized depending on rank, or transfer to individual ready reserve.

Type
Independent
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , Summer 2010 , pp. 386 - 395
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 2010

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