Parents who suffer a miscarriage before 24 weeks will be entitled to bereavement leave

Parents who suffer a miscarriage before 24 weeks will be entitled to bereavement leave, as a legal right.

The Government estimates around 250,000 pregnancies a year end through miscarriage.  At Pregnant and Protected we have sadly dealt with many cases where women have experienced miscarriage and had no right to take bereavement leave from work.  Instead, both them and their partner were left with no option but to take unpaid leave, use their annual leave entitlement or take sick leave, to grieve the loss of their baby.  This often came with consequences associated of taking time off work and having to return before they had been able to properly process, rest and recover from what they had been through, mentally and physically.

Yesterday however, the Government announced that it plans to amend the Employment Rights Bill to allow bereavement leave for parents experiencing pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.  This is a massive step forward, giving those that need it, the right to take time off work to grieve.  Currently, the right only extends to those who suffer a miscarriage or whose baby is stillborn after 24 weeks – or if a child under 18 passes away.  This amendment will mean that the right to leave will be extended to baby loss at any stage of a pregnancy. 

Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner stated “No one who is going through the heartbreak of pregnancy loss should have to go back to work before they are ready.”

Currently, all we know is that this leave would be unpaid and last one week, although the exact length of such leave is currently being consulted on.  Further details are pending and we will keep you posted, but a step in the right direction at least.