Parents who experience abortion before 24 weeks of pregnancy will be entitled to mourning leave under a planned law change.
The government is ready to amend the employment rights bill to give the parents the legal right to stop the work to mourn the loss of pregnancy at any level.
As it stands, mourning holiday is available only to parents who lose an unborn child after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rener said that change will “sad to get away from work”.
“Any person who is going through the breakdown of the heart loss of pregnancy loss should return to work before getting ready,” said Rener.
Parents are currently entitled to a fortnight holiday if they face loss of pregnancy after 24 weeks, or if the child younger than 18 dies.
The extended right to leave will be “at least” for a week, although it is still being consulted at the exact length.
The Employment Rights Bill, which includes the law for safety and measures, is the time to take time to mourn the loss of a loved one to the rights of the employees, making its way through Parliament already.
Labor MP Sara Owen, who presided over the Women and Equality Committee, has campaigned for the first change.
In 2021, she told the MPs that she felt physically better in a few days after her abortion, but there were “all classic signs” of mourning.
“I couldn’t eat, I could not sleep. I really didn’t expect that life would ever be bright,” he said.
In March, Business Minister Justin Maders told MPs that he acknowledged the principle of mourning leave for the loss of pregnancy and promised to add the right to employment rights bills.
Vicky Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of the Abortion Association, welcomed the announcement.
He said that it was “a very important step that accepts the often important effects of pre-24-week loss, not only for those who experience physical damage, but also for their colleagues”.
