The U.S. Naval Academy reportedly graduated its first pregnant midshipman in May, even though school policy dictates women are not supposed to marry or begin families before completing their studies. Normally, pregnant midshipmen are allowed to take a leave of absence, but naval officials said the unidentified woman was granted an exemption and allowed to graduate because a leave would have caused her not to finish and be commissioned as an officer.
The current policy was crafted during the Clinton administration, after the Navy agreed to be more accommodating to women who become pregnant. At one time the service had little tolerance for would-be mothers, forcing female midshipmen to choose between having an abortion or getting kicked out of the academy.
-Noel Brinkerhoff