Navy working to fight high rate of unplanned pregnancies

Janise Wilcox, a Tricare representative, hands out information packets on Tricare to a sailor at a Naval Station Norfolk pregnancy seminar in June, 2009. (John Stratton/U.S. Navy)

Norfolk, Va. – The Navy has launched a family planning awareness and information campaign as the number of unintended pregnancies in its ranks reaches record highs.

According to Stars and Stripes, 74 percent of all pregnancies in the Navy are unplanned, compared to 65 percent in the rest of the military. In 2006, about 49 percent of all pregnancies in the United States were classified as unplanned, according to the CDC.

Nearly three-fourths of all Navy pregnancies were unplanned, according to a recent parenthood survey conducted by the service. Of those, only 31 percent of the couples were using birth control at the time they conceived. With pregnancies involving enlisted servicewomen, 70 percent of the fathers were also in the military.

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Nearly 8 percent of sailors with children are single parents, according to the Navy. Of those, 12,000 are men and 6,000 are women.

Read more at Stars and Stripes

Navy Personnel Command: Pregnancy FAQs

Navy Guidelines Concerning Pregnancy and Parenthood