Lanark and Hamilton East MP Angela Crawley has delivered a petition with more than 25,000 names calling for the UK Government to introduce paid miscarriage leave before 24 weeks to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Ahead of the second reading of her private members’ bill on Friday 3rd December, Angela Crawley MP personally delivered the petition to 10 Downing Street.
The Miscarriage Leave Bill seeks to introduce three days of statutory paid leave for parents who experience a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Last month, 53 MPs from nine political parties and independents backed a cross-party letter to the Prime Minister urging the UK Government to support the campaign.
One in four pregnancies end in miscarriage, however, under current legislation, workers are only entitled to paid bereavement leave following a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Some companies have already gone further than the bill proposes and offer paid leave for between seven and 14 days for people who experience a miscarriage at any stage of the pregnancy.
Other countries, including New Zealand, have written similar provisions into law and in September Australia became the latest country to adopt paid miscarriage leave.
Commenting, Lanark and Hamilton East MP Angela Crawley said:
“The support our campaign has received from the public and from MPs across the UK has been overwhelming.
“Miscarriage can be one of the most traumatic experiences that parents can face in their lifetime and thousands of parents go through this heartache without any government support.
“The stigma attached to miscarriage is stopping thousands of parents seeking the help and support they deserve.
“MPs from across the house have backed the campaign which shows there is a clear consensus at Westminster that parents who experience a miscarriage should be entitled to paid leave so that they can grieve their loss.
“Already, 25,000 people – with more adding their names every hour – have signed the petition, demonstrating that the feeling across the country is the same as it is in Parliament.
“The only thing standing in the way of fair support for grieving parents and finally ending the stigma associated with miscarriage is the UK Government and on Friday they will have the chance to change that by backing my bill.”