As early as January 1, 2010, the U.S. military plans to lift the 4-month old pregnancy ban on soldiers serving in Iraq. The ban, put in place by Major General Anthony Cucolo, prohibited soldiers from impregnanting another soldier or becoming pregnant themselves while serving as one of the more than 22,000 troops in Northern Iraq under his command. Those who did so faced punishments ranging from an official reprimand to court martial, though Cucolo later added that he had no intention of court martialing any soldier who became pregnant.

Cucolo’s policy had been in effect since November 4, 2009. Since that time, four soldiers serving under his command have been found to be pregnant. They, along with three male soldiers who were involved, received official reprimands.

Cucolo defended his policy, stating that in a time when U.S. forces were already dwindling, he could not afford to lose his “invaluable” female soldiers.

Current U.S. policy allows commanders to issue rules and guidelines on behavior for the soldiers under their command. These rules are often more strict than general military rules of conduct. After protests from women’s advocate groups and letters from at least four U.S. senators to the Secretary of the U.S. Army, the ban will be lifted.