Why Women in the Navy Are Problomatic

I know many folks think we are soooo past the issue of women in the military but the problems that arise with their presence, keep on rising. Take a look at this article from Stars & Stripes. Four women from the USS Bataan had to be left in port during a deployment because they were found to be preggers.

Here's the rub: the women didn't know they were pregnant when the ship left homeport. So either we have four women that need a remedial class on health education or they really did know they were with child but decided to use it as a get-off-of-the-deployment card.

Here are a couple of question to cut to the heart of the matter:

1. Does the Navy prohibit any sailor from having children while in the force? No.
2. When these women signed their contracts, were they pregnant? No.
3. If the Navy doesn't allow pregnant women to be assigned to a sea billet, then why the hell are surprised when they get knocked up.
4. Who replaces these women on the ship and who loses a shore billet because of it?

Perhaps a sea billet contract is required that includes the use of a long term, but reversible, birth control device such as Norplant (My Catholic friends may want to take a deep breath and remember that all of this is voluntary). Let's not forget that serving in the military is not a right, it is a privilege and not everybody is cut out for it.

I didn't make women different from men, the Good Lord did and he did so for a reason. Its time the Navy and the rest of the service figured it out too. I'm just glad we don't have these problems in the Sub Force.