Parliament in New Zealand unanimously approved a bill on Thursday that gives workers the right to paid leave after a miscarriage or stillbirth. The law is one of the first of its kind worldwide.
Not only the woman who was pregnant, but also their partners are entitled to three days’ leave. In surrogacy, all those involved receive paid leave after a miscarriage or stillbirth. After the loss, they no longer have to report sick to their employer.
According to MP Ginny Andersen, the initiator of the law, it is important that the grief of parents is recognized on special leave. “The grief associated with miscarriage is not a disease. It is a loss and that loss takes time: time to recover physically and time to recover mentally.”
The parliamentarian says there is a taboo on the subject, which makes it difficult for people to talk about it. She hopes the new law will lead to more openness about miscarriages and stillbirths.
With the introduction of the extra leave, the parliament in Wellington continues to play its pioneering role in women’s rights, Anderson said. With this she refers, among other things, to the women’s suffrage that New Zealand was the first country in the world to introduce.
– .
