Member

I hope that my noble friend will honour the commitment given to Sarah Owen in the House of Commons to introduce a statutory entitlement to bereavement leave for pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, the current cut-off period, and in doing so to reassert our values of humanity and compassion and a desire for fairness and equality. I know that if he does so, it will be a moment of both sadness and joy for those who have experienced miscarriage—sadness at the reminder of their loss and of what they had to go through without this provision; joy at knowing that, in future, pregnancy loss bereavement leave will be a right legislated for by the Government, so that women and their partners will not have to experience the added pain of not having a right to statutory leave at a time of the greatest trauma.