Preg tests not binding despite Afghan birth

The British Govt has ruled out mandatory pregnancy tests for women despite a Fijian-born British servicewoman who did not know she was pregnant giving birth on the frontline in Afghanistan this week.

The birth in Afghanistan, a first for a UK soldier sparked calls for extra testing for servicewomen before they head to the frontline.

According to MailOnline, soldiers currently have hearing, sight, blood and weight-related tests but nothing to find out if they are carrying a baby.

However the British Govt told MailOnline it is a matter of privacy and they expect women to come forward when they fall pregnant.

The unnamed Fijian — a gunner in the Royal Artillery —had a son in Camp Bastion just days after the Taliban launched a deadly attack on the UK’s main base in Helmand.

The baby and her mum are believed to have been flown back to Britain.
 
A military source told MailOnline the case is an unusual one and that the soldier in question “has not done anything wrong.”

She had been deployed with the 12th Mechanised Brigade since March after having passed her tough pre-deployment training, which included a gruelling eight-mile march and five-mile run, without inkling that she was pregnant.

By Indrani Krishna