Posted on May 29, 2014
Capt Current Operations Officer (S 3)
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The Marine Corps is going to start creating studies of females in many different jobs that were closed out to them previously.

They have started with females going through the School of infantry and have now incorporated them into even different weapons MOSs.

There is also a study standing up in January of 2016 where females and males will be take part in a special task force to study females in actual infantry roles.

Now to the question: There has also been talk of females joining MARSOC (Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command)assessment and selection process to become operators. The amount of training and time that it takes to make an operator and the rapid deployment of these forces would make it almost impossible for a team member to be out for 9 months, plus an additional 6 months for maternity leave. Would it be wrong for MARSOC to put a restriction on a female who wishes to join MARSOC by saying that if you choose to join you cannot get pregnant for X amount of time while in MARSOC?
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SPC Robb Sidebottom
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I was written up and restricted to barracks for getting a sunburn after being ordered to participate in a charity car wash planned by my unit. Then, my unit deployed to the Middle East and several of the females, married or not, ended up pregnant and returned stateside. I don't feel as though it's too much to ask someone who has volunteered for SO to refrain from becoming pregnant or risk being transferred out. Commen sense at its most basic definition.
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CW2 UH-60 Pilot
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Yes....it would be wrong. And pretty draconian as well. Look at pregnancy like a torn ACL. I certainly didn't intend to tear mine.....but there I was all the same. I wasn't subject to UCMJ. It was just bum luck. After the surgery and the rehab, you're looking at 9 months. You could tear your ACL doing every physical activity under the SOF umbrella. You still go out on your own time and play sports, walk across icy driveways and climb ladders. This is placing additional rules on females that don't apply to males. Unless you plan not to have sex while in MARSOC. Is that a realistic or even logical thing to ask or mandate?
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SSgt Christophe Murphy
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I served 3 and a half years on MSG (Marine Security Guard) duty serving at embassies overseas. When you join that duty as a Sgt and below you are forced to sign a page 11 stating you won't get married while on this duty. If you get married you get the page 11 ran and removed from the program.

I went to school with 7 females and only 1 finished her tour. All of the others got pregnant. You can't enforce a no pregnancy rule as contraception isn't mandatory or 100% effective. Plus what do you do if they are Catholic?
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SFC J Fullerton
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Specifically for pregnancy, I would say yes its wrong, in my opinion. However, pregnancy should be treated like any other medical issue that has duty restrictions (profile). If the SM has a medical condition, temporary or permanent profile, that prevents them from being deployable or capable of performing the duties of their assignment for an extended period of time, then they should be re-assigned to the needs of the service in a position that they are capable of performing with their profile. In other words, a medical profile is a medical profile regardless of how it occurred. JMO.
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LCpl Mike Zacher
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Edited 9 y ago
no.. since we have gone down hill with this social experiment.. she should be 7+ months pregnant and then the doc can deliver her kid behind the lines.. really.. any common sense left around here
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CPT Pedro Meza
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It March 2016, do you have new input on your thread given the recent changes of women in combat?
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Cpl Dr Ronnie Manns
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Yes it would be and the simple fact is, a Marine is a Marine regardless of sex. The only reason this maybe or is even a question is a difference in sex. No one should be prevented from serving their country in any capacity that they choose and we should not be making rules that exclude anyone. Regarding getting pregnant, that is and never should be a cause for dismissal but all should be fore-warned that it may deter completion and if anything damages or causes the mission to be in jeopardy, that cause should be resolved. There are males who claim to be sick, dead or dying to get out of deployments but no one questions their commitment to the service, are we now about to begin questioning females commitment by making these or this type of rule?
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SFC M1 ABRAMS Tank System Maintainer
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I see female Marines every day working beside men as Tankers. Yet some people on the army side are still very resistant on females becoming tankers. Talking about they can't lift the rounds etc. Yetthey are being proven wrong every day. Not to mention that the female mechanics we have had the last 2 years now have been lifting the arms, starters, and other components that weigh more then a round. Women are going to end up in every MOS I believe . I have a group of females that live below my ALC studnerts, and they are here in Benning to get ready for ranger school. Will all of them make it? of course not, but how many of us males wouoldn't make it either.

I think the preganacy thing could from the amount of time schooling is, then followed by the rapid deployment. In a way I couold understand it, but same time its kinda BS.
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SFC Bus Driver
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There are very few true accidents in pregnancy. If she uses multiple contraceptives, ie birth control pill, IUD, or implants and uses condoms then yeah that is a plausible accident. But if there are no actions taken other than pulling out that is not an accident.
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1px xxx
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SFC (Join to see) you say "if she uses..." Doesn't it take TWO to tango? Doesn't half the responsibility lie with the man/sperm donor?
SFC Bus Driver
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LCDR Matlow absolutely it does. How ever if I was trying not to have children I would be sure to protect myself. There are multiple ways this can be done. Before I was married when I wanted something I would prepare before I went out, as did alot of the females that I met. In this case she has a reason to protect herself.
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