The British Defence Force may introduce mandatory pregnancy testing for female soldiers before tours of service.

Lance Bombardier Lynette Pierce    

The British Defence Force may introduce mandatory pregnancy testing for female soldiers before tours of service, after it was revealed that over 200 women returned from combat between 2003 and 2013 because they were pregnant. One woman, lance bombardier Lynette Pierce, gave birth at a base in Afghanistan in 2013. She claims she was unaware of her pregnancy.

Currently the British defence force does not enforce pregnancy tests for female soldiers, believing that it would be an ‘invasion of privacy’. However, the prospect of a woman having to be suddenly evacuated from the front line, putting the lives of other soldiers at risk, may prompt a change in policy. According to the Ministry of Defence most of the babies would have been conceived before the mother left the UK. 

Xavier Symons
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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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