New Proposed Changes for Bereavement leave Could Offer Compassionate Support After Miscarriage
Published on: 16/01/2025
At MAMA Academy, our mission is to empower expectant parents and save babies’ lives. We provide education, practical resources, and advocacy to ensure safer pregnancies. That’s why we welcome the recent call from MPs to offer women who suffer a miscarriage up to two weeks of paid bereavement leave. If adopted, this important new right would transform how workplaces treat pregnancy loss before 24 weeks and bring much-needed compassion and consistency for grieving families across the UK.
Why These Changes Matter
The Commons Women and Equalities Committee report highlights the enormous impact a miscarriage can have—physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Every year, 250,000 miscarriages occur before 24 weeks’ gestation. Currently, those affected often have to rely on sick leave or their employers’ discretionary policies. This can leave women and their partners without clear, guaranteed support, compounding the grief they already experience.
By ensuring that miscarriage bereavement leave becomes a universal right, the proposals would mean:
Two weeks’ paid time off: Giving families the space to process their loss rather than feeling forced to return to work prematurely or rely on sick leave.
Compassionate, stigma-free support: Recognising that miscarriage is not a simple medical issue but a profound emotional event—many parents experience miscarriage as the loss of a baby.
Parity with other forms of bereavement leave: Bringing miscarriage into line with rights already afforded to those who lose a baby after 24 weeks (stillbirth).
Current Disparities
At present, if a baby is stillborn after 24 weeks, parents are entitled to statutory parental bereavement leave and pay. However, there is no equivalent right for miscarriage prior to 24 weeks—even though one in five pregnancies ends in miscarriage, most of them during the first trimester.
Some employers and NHS England do already offer bereavement leave for pregnancy loss, but provision is inconsistent. This effectively creates a “lottery” in which the level of support depends on a particular workplace’s policies or an individual manager’s goodwill. That’s a heavy burden for someone who is grieving.
What MPs Are Saying
Sarah Owen MP, who chairs the committee pushing for these changes, has shared a very personal perspective:
“I was not prepared for the shock of miscarrying at work during my first pregnancy. Like many women, I legally had to take sick leave. But I was grief-stricken, not sick, harbouring a deep sense of loss.”
She will table amendments to the Employment Rights Bill to enable paid time off for women (and their partners) who experience miscarriage before 24 weeks. A broad coalition of charities and organisations has stepped forward to endorse this move, including Sands, the Miscarriage Association, GMB union, and NCT, emphasising how crucial it is to treat miscarriage as a bereavement—not an illness.
Why It’s Time for Change
Miscarriage is often accompanied by significant grief, physical after-effects, and mental health challenges. Parents deserve sufficient time to begin healing without the extra pressures of financial strain or job insecurity. Having a clear entitlement to bereavement leave would not only acknowledge the profound sadness of miscarriage but also encourage open conversations about baby loss, helping reduce stigma and feelings of isolation.
At MAMA Academy, we believe that every pregnancy matters. Providing formal, paid time off for miscarriage is a crucial step in ensuring women and their partners feel supported and can grieve in a way that respects their emotional and mental wellbeing.
How You Can Help
Contact your MP: Share your own experiences or express your support for new rights around miscarriage bereavement leave.
Spread the word: Encourage friends, family, and colleagues to learn about these proposed changes. Use social media to highlight why this legislation matters.
Support pregnancy charities: By donating or volunteering with organisations like MAMA Academy, Tommys, and the Miscarriage Association, you help advance research, provide bereavement support, and influence policy change.
Looking Ahead
If these proposed amendments to the Employment Rights Bill are adopted, the UK would become a global leader in recognising miscarriage as a deeply significant loss. This change would symbolise a move toward greater compassion, equity, and understanding for all families who experience pregnancy loss at any gestation.
MAMA Academy is committed to promoting safer pregnancies. While we hope you’ll never need this kind of support, we stand firmly behind legislation that recognises the real, profound impact of miscarriage. We’ll continue to update you on these developments and advocate for the emotional and practical support that all expectant parents deserve.
For more information on miscarriage and how to seek support or campaign for safer pregnancies, please explore our website. You are not alone—there is help available, and together we can make a real difference in how society responds to and supports those going through the heartbreak of baby loss.