UK to grant bereavement leave to parents after miscarriages
Parents in the United Kingdom who suffer a miscarriage before 24 weeks will soon be entitled to bereavement leave as part of reforms being brought in by the Labour party in workers’ rights laws.
According to the Guardian, mothers and their partners will be given the right to two weeks of bereavement leave as part of changes to the employment rights bill.
The bill is set to be presented in the House of Commons — the UK’s lower house of parliament — next week. If passed, it will be implemented in England, Wales and Scotland.
Parents in the UK already have the right to bereavement leave if they lose a child or suffer a stillbirth after 24 weeks of gestation. This new rule covers loss during any time in the pregnancy.
The change was pushed for by Labour MP Sarah Owen, who chairs the women and equalities select committee. In a January report, the committee called for the grant of bereavement leave.
According to the UK’s NHS, it is believed that around one in eight known pregnancies will end in miscarriage. The Guardian reported that approximately 250,000 expectant mothers in the UK suffer a miscarriage every year.
