US cancels controversial Iraq pregnancy rules

The US army has cancelled controversial rules that punish soldiers in north Iraq who fall pregnant or who impregnate a female soldier, an American military spokeswoman said on Saturday. The decision follows concern that the provisions put in place by Major General Anthony Cucolo, commander of US forces in north Iraq, could lead to some soldiers being court-martialed.
"In the normal course of standing up United States Forces-Iraq (USF-I), a review of all existing orders and policies of several commands has been underway," First Lieutenant Elizabeth Feste said in an e-mail. "The updated USF-I policy does not include a pregnancy provision. "Additionally, all requests by subordinate units to impose further restrictions of activities ... will require approval of the USF-I Commander."
US troops currently operate under the command of Multi-National Forces-Iraq, but this will be changed effective January 1, 2010 to reflect the fact that no other countries have troops stationed in the country. As a result, the command will be called USF-I.