Government rebuked for delaying legislation for pregnancy loss leave
The Government has been sharply criticised by Sinn Féin for voting to delay the progression of legislation to provide pregnancy loss leave in the workplace, as multiple senators shared their experience of miscarriages.Sinn Féin’s Nicole Ryan has said the push-back of the proposed laws on pregnancy loss leave shows the Government does “not care enough” and is attempting to kill off her party’s legislation.Enterprise Minister Peter Burke confirmed there would be a 12-month delay to the progression of the Sinn Féin legislation, to allow the Government to examine its own proposals in the area.Mr Burke said he understood the “urgency and significance” of progressing legislation on the matter, but the timed amendment would allow the Government to develop its own laws on pregnancy loss.“I fully recognise the need to introduce leave for those who experience pregnancy loss,” Mr Burke said.Ms Ryan had sought to progress legislation that would provide up to five days of leave to women who experience pregnancy loss, as well as establishing a new opt-in register to allow women record their miscarriage with the State.The proposed laws would also provide partners with two-and-a-half days leave.A number of senators, including Ms Ryan, detailed their experience of going through miscarriage, with the Sinn Féin senator holding up her seven-week scan in the Seanad, saying it was the only evidence she has that she was ever pregnant.Ms Ryan previously outlined her pregnancy loss experience in an interview with the Irish Examiner, where she recalled how she was elated after discovering she was pregnant.However, just days from her 12-week scan, Ms Ryan went out for dinner and found that she experienced some cramping during the evening.“I was like 'that can be normal, it can happen'. I went to bed, but woke up at 5am, and I just knew that something was off,” Ms Ryan said.Ms Ryan described how she woke up “covered in blood” and drove to CUH in the early hours.She said: “I begged and pleaded with anything that this wasn’t happening, but I knew what was happening.” Ms Ryan was later told that her pregnancy had not progressed beyond seven weeks.In the Seanad on Wednesday, Ms Ryan said the legislation is “rooted in lived experience”.“The State does not recognise losses under 23 weeks, you’re supposed to just carry on and pretend like nothing happened,” Ms Ryan said.“Pregnancy loss is one of the most common forms of bereavement and yet one of the least recognised in both society and law.”
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