World-First Law Gives New Zealand Parents Three Days Leave after a Stillbirth or Miscarriage

WORLD-FIRST law gives New Zealand parents three days leave after a stillbirth or miscarriage.

The law which is set to improve women’s rights will mean that working mothers along with their partners will be given access to paid leave in New Zealand if they suffer from a stillbirth or a miscarriage. It is thought that this is a world-first provision, and it was passed unanimously by New Zealand lawmakers.

The dedicated bereavement leave will see people given three days leave after a stillbirth or a miscarriage. Speaking of the new law Jacinta Ardern told parliament that, ‘The grief that comes with miscarriage is not a sickness; it is a loss, and that loss takes time – time to recover physically and time to recover mentally.’

Lawmaker Ginny Andersen hopes that the law will remove some of the stigma which surrounds the loss of a child by a stillbirth or a miscarriage. Speaking to parliament she explained that, ‘I can only hope that while we may be one of the first, we will not be one of the last, and that other countries will also begin to legislate for a compassionate and fair leave system that recognises the pain and the grief that comes from miscarriage and stillbirth.’

Others though questioned the fact that women who have undergone an abortion were not included in the new law.

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