Contribution
It is at incredible moments like this that people across this House come together to share their testimony. I really want to thank the hon. Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Andy MacNae) for opening today’s debate, and the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre (Cat Smith) —you absolutely broke my heart, but the strength you have shared is incredible. I know that so many people watching this debate will be absolutely moved and feel the power and strength of your testimony. Obviously, I am from Northern Ireland. We introduced baby loss certificates—it is a devolved matter for us—but I know that so many of my constituents will feel really seen by what the hon. Member has said. I encourage the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for England to do what we have done in Northern Ireland, because it has made such a difference.
I want to talk briefly about a number of charities in my constituency of Lagan Valley, including Zach’s Wish and the Little Forget Me Nots Trust. Northern Ireland is one of those parts of the world where we do some things really well, and other things not very well. The hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford (Alicia Kearns) talked about the issue of forced adoption and mother and baby homes. Across the island of Ireland, we have a long and shameful heritage of a number of mass graves. That has really impacted women and families throughout the centuries, because they have never been able to get closure. The Northern Ireland Assembly is doing a big public health piece of work at the minute, trying to trace some of those babies to their mother, or maybe their brother, their sister or another family member. I pay tribute to my colleague in the Northern Ireland Assembly, Nuala McAllister—MLA for North Belfast—who has been incredible in trying to bring churches to deal with their shame for not allowing families to have a burial, or even just an acknowledgment of their loved one.
Another huge issue that I feel is yet to be named in this debate is that of maternal mental health. Whenever you experience baby loss, no one can name that for you and tell you how to feel or what to do, but I do know that for women who have experienced that incredible, crushing hollow in the centre of their stomach, sometimes the one thing they need is somebody to be there. Other Members have touched on the fact that there needs to be continuity of care throughout a pregnancy, which includes whenever that journey comes to an end and the person does not have a baby in their arms.
I want to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Lynette Glen from Lagan Valley, and the maternal advocacy and support project at the Atlas Women’s Centre. I do not want to betray any confidences, but I know that one of the women involved in another project with Women’s Aid lost her daughter after she gave birth, and in Northern Ireland, shamefully, we still do not have a proper programme for women who are experiencing post-natal depression and anxiety, or issues during the pregnancy. That is deeply troubling—I cannot even begin to imagine how much it compounds the loss of a child when you were already potentially in deep distress.
Another issue that we have come across in Northern Ireland and other parts of the United Kingdom is the lack of paediatric pathology services. We now have a situation where babies are being taken from Northern Ireland to other parts of the UK. Earlier this year, I met representatives of some of the pathology departments at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. That team is second to none, but that does not mean that it is not going to hurt mums, dads and other people who have lost their baby when their baby is taken away from them. That is really difficult, but we have a staff shortage across the pathologist workforce, which is incredibly difficult. As we think our way through this issue, we need to give thought to how we are going to help families who are undergoing that loss.
Earlier this year, we experienced the passage of the Hillsborough law, and so many people have already made reference to the Ockenden report, which is important in terms of the culture, sometimes, of secrecy and cover-up and is key whenever we are discussing baby loss. I am so heartened by the number of MPs who are already doing incredible work in this space, but we need to do so much more. Northern Ireland currently has the highest infant mortality rate in the UK, and I am sure that many people will find that as troubling as I do.
I pay tribute to a charity called Mummy’s Star, founded by a lovely man called Pete, who lost his wife when she had cancer and she was pregnant. There are so many women who go through cancer when pregnant, and sometimes they are left with no other option than to terminate a much-loved and much-wanted pregnancy. We need to do so much more to support those women. Incredible clinicians are already doing work in this space to support those women and their babies, but there is so much more to be done.
Lastly, if you will spare me an indulgence, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will talk about IVF. Whenever you go through IVF, sometimes you are left with nothing in your arms. For many women in Northern Ireland, they only have one funded cycle of IVF at the minute. For those women who do not have many eggs during the egg collection, you only have one shot at a fresh egg transfer. If that is not successful, you walk away with nothing. You are one shot and done. I call on Members across this House to help our campaign to ensure that Northern Ireland gets three fully funded cycles of IVF or ICSI—intracytoplasmic sperm injection—because those women experience that loss and potentially never gain that baby in their arms. I ask Members to be mindful and to help me in that cause for women in Northern Ireland. Lastly, I thank everyone who is sharing their experiences tonight—you are incredible.