Parents who experience the loss of a baby should take paid leave, says Labor MP

A Labor MP has called on all employers to offer paid bereavement leave to anyone who suffers a baby loss or miscarriage.

Women and Equalities Committee chair Sarah Owen said other workplaces should follow in the footsteps of the NHS, which already offers parents paid leave to mourn the loss of their baby.

Owen’s call came during Baby Loss Awareness Week, in which the government announced that all parents can apply for a baby loss certificate to officially acknowledge their child’s life.

The certificate system has been expanded to include all parents, not just those who have suffered losses since September 2018, which was originally the case when it was first launched in February this year.

In the House of Commons, the Luton North MP said: “Today marks the start of Baby Loss Awareness Week. It is a difficult and important time for many of our voters and for those of us who have experienced baby loss or miscarriage.

“Many private sector employers and now the NHS, the biggest employer of women in the public sector, have led the way in offering paid bereavement leave to those who miscarry.

“Does the minister agree that all workers could and should benefit from the right to bereavement leave following the loss of a baby?”

Equalities Minister Anneliese Dodds responded: “(Ms Owen) has campaigned for many, many months and, indeed, years on this issue of baby loss – as have other MPs across the House.

“I am very pleased to see this progress among some large employers. I know she will want to work with us to ensure that those grieving the loss of a baby are supported and protected, especially in the most difficult times.”

Owen had previously spoken about his own miscarriage experience and proposed the Bereavement Leave and Pay (Stillborn and Aborted Babies) Act.

The bill aimed to extend the right to parental bereavement leave and pay to parents of babies miscarried or stillborn during early pregnancy.

In October 2021, Ms Owen told the Commons: “Being forced to take sick leave unduly reinforces a woman’s feeling that her body has failed her or that it is somehow her fault.”

“The law urgently needs to catch up with society to allow everyone who is one in four time to grieve and heal. Miscarriage can be physically painful, but it is not a disease and it is time for the law to stop treating it as such,” she added.