Miscarriage and baby loss: how and why employers are failing their people

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode deals with discussions of in/fertility and/or baby loss.

Imagine facing the trauma and heartbreak of losing a baby during pregnancy followed by a requirement to return to work the next day!

This is sadly an all-too-common occurrence and one that our guests on this episode are determined to change.

There is currently no legal requirement for employers to provide time off and other support for those who lose a baby before 24 weeks.

We are joined by Angela Crawley MP, whose bill aims to change the law to empower employees to have a conversation with their employers and take at least three days off work following a miscarriage.

She has been the MP for Lanark and Hamilton East since 2015 and is the SNP's Attorney General Spokesperson in the House of Commons. Angela has been campaigning for Paid Miscarriage Leave since 2020, introducing the Miscarriage Leave Bill to Parliament.

We also speak with Keeley Lengthorn, a leading Family and Children law partner, at Law firm Taylor Rose MW. More recently Keeley has also become a baby loss campaigner.

Keeley has suffered 3 losses of her own in the last 3 years, including her son George in March of this year, and has been channeling her grief into supporting the Miscarriage Leave Bill.

In doing so, Keeley has been working alongside MPs and has featured in national press and on television promoting her campaign calling on employers to enact a baby loss policy within the workplace.

This will enable employees to have 3 days paid leave in the event of a miscarriage occurring at any gestation, but most importantly under 24 weeks, to which there is currently no statutory protection.

This week (Oct 9-15 2022) is Baby Loss Awareness Week in the UK: https://babyloss-awareness.org/

In this conversation, Keeley mentions two charities:
Sands: https://www.sands.org.uk/
Tommy’s: https://www.tommys.org/

Find out more about Angela’s bill:
https://ukparliament.shorthandstories.com/paid-miscarriage-leave/index.html?utm_campaign=0322-cet-paidmiscarriageleave-petitioners&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=petcom

Current Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay and Leave policy:
https://www.gov.uk/parental-bereavement-pay-leave

You can engage with the hosts and the growing In/Fertility in the City community by:

-emailing us: info@infertilityinthecity.com
-following us on LinkedIn ( www.linkedin.com/company/infertilityinthecity ), Instagram ( https://instagram.com/infertilityinthecity ), or Twitter ( https://twitter.com/InFertilityCity ).

Finally, thanks to Fertifa, the UK’s leading reproductive healthcare benefits provider, for sponsoring this season of the podcast. You can find out more about Fertifa here: https://www.fertifa.com. You can also contact them direct here: enquiries@fertifa.com