U.S. military academies will now allow cadets to become parents per a law Congress passed in 2021, the Texas Standard reported.
The academies will still ban parents from enrolling, but cadets who become parents post-enrollment will not be kicked out, sparing cadets in that difficult situation from having to choose between giving the child up for adoption, discarding parental rights, abortion, or leaving school.
The legislative effort came from Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
The military already knows how to accommodate active-duty troops with families, Cruz said, adding that the academies shouldn’t enforce a policy that could lead to abortions.
“It was not something that there was any sound military basis for imposing, that a 21-year-old cadet is somehow unable and has no right to be a parent in a way that a 22-year-old soldier suddenly magically acquires that right,” Cruz said. “That didn’t make sense.“
The antiquated policy infringed on women’s rights to bodily autonomy, Gillibrand said.
“It’s important that we allow members of our military who are pregnant to be able to continue their education and to have a pregnancy plan in place where they can manage that pregnancy and their child,” Gillibrand said.
The schools are waiting for official guidance from the Pentagon. In the meantime, the Air Force Academy has begun accommodating cadets with children, requiring them to set up temporary guardianship for their kids, much like for enlisted airmen and officers.
