Researchers say the trend calls for increased education on birth control methods
Pregnancies among IDF soldiers up
Number of pregnancies among compulsory service soldiers ages 18-20 in has gone up by 16 percent from 1997 to 2003; pregnancy rate among soldiers who were not born in Israel is as much as four times higher than pregnancy rate among native-born
The number of pregnant IDF soldiers is on the rise, a recent IDF Medical Corps study shows.
According to the data, the number of pregnancies among soldiers ages 18-20 in compulsory service has gone up by 16 percent from 1997 to 2003.
The researchers say the trend calls for increased education on birth control methods.
IDF law states that an impregnated soldier who wishes to proceed with her pregnancy is exempt from the remainder of her service, while soldiers who plan to terminate their pregnancy and continue with their military duty are sent to a special IDF committee on the subject.
Notably, the rate of pregnancies in the IDF is lower than the national pregnancy rate among teenagers up to 19 years of age, which stands at 32 pregnancies for every 1,000 young girls. The rate among IDF soldiers in 2003 stood at 21.5 pregnancies for every 1,000 women.
Research data show that while about 94 percent of pregnant single Jewish girls up to the age of 19 decided to terminate their pregnancies, only 75 percent of pregnant soldiers chose to have an abortion.
The study shows that the rate of pregnancies among soldiers who were not born in Israel is as much as four times higher than the rate among native-born troops.
