Miscarriage leave desperately needed for women, says Senator

Labour workers’ rights spokesperson Marie Sherlock said the failure of Budget 2024 to provide early miscarriage leave translates to women remaining at a disadvantage n the workplace.

Sherlock said her party introduced a bill in 2021 that would provide up to 20 days paid time off for women who experience an early miscarriage and up to 10 days paid time off for people undergoing fertility treatment, but has accused Government of “utterly failing to act on this deeply-needed compassionate leave.”

“There is no legal workplace recognition of what is an immensely traumatic and upsetting time for women and families; we know that approximately 14,000 women will experience a miscarriage in Ireland each year.”

“These women are afforded no time off to recover physically and emotionally from their loss,” she said.

The issue was recently raised in the Dáil by Labour, with Minister Roderic O’Gorman stating he is awaiting the results of a survey his Department has commissioned before making any decisions on how to support women impacted.

The delay has led to Sherlock accusing Government of “kicking the can on introducing this much-needed measure for almost three years.”

“In Labour’s Alternative Budget, we called for the introduction of reproductive leave for miscarriage or threatened miscarriage. Such a measure would only cost €8.4 million annually, but would be priceless for the women who need it.

“We need to support workers when they need it most. The failure to provide compassionate leave in this year’s Budget shows just how out of touch this Government is.”