New Zealand Approves Paid Miscarriage Leave

By Harseerat Mann, Opinions Editor

Courtesy of GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF NEW ZEALAND

Employers in New Zealand, like those in other nations, are expected to give compensated time off in the event of a stillbirth, which is when a fetus is lost after 20 weeks or more. The new law clarifies that this leave is open to someone who loses a pregnancy at any time. In the coming weeks, the bill is scheduled to become law.

“I felt that it would give women the confidence to be able to request that leave if it was required, as opposed to just being stoic and getting on with life, when they knew that they needed time, physically or psychologically, to get over the grief,” Labour member of Parliament Ginny Andersen said.

The new legislation, which has been in development for years, comes as part of a much wider international focus on women's administrative center rights. Women have long struggled to reconcile the demands of their jobs with personal problems, such as loss of pregnancy, which has resulted in them missing out on promotions and other opportunities.

The case of public school teacher Liz O'Donnell, who gave birth to a stillborn daughter in December, started the campaign to reform the country's policies. During her 48-hour delivery, O'Donnell lost about a liter and a half of blood and the epidural aggravated pre-existing scar tissue, leaving her in excruciating pain.

“I think we should not adapt to this new law because there will be people who take advantage of this and there will be more cases of miscarriage,” junior Anh Nguyen said. "But at the same time I think this is a great idea because, after a miscarriage, women often suffer from mental illnesses like PTSD. It can also affect their marriage life. So this new law can help them financially and also gives people time to grieve.”

The latest change comes more than a year after the nation decriminalized abortion, reversing a position that set it apart from the rest of the developed world.

"Occasionally and not often enough, in my view, we come together as parliamentarians in a unified, dignified, respectful way to do the right thing," Center-right National party member Scott Simpson said. “This is an example of such an occasion."

Each year, in accordance with Sands New Zealand, a cause that permits guardians who've lost an infant, 5,900 to 11,800 premature deliveries or stillbirths emerge. According to the New Zealand College of Midwives, more than ninety-five percent of miscarriages arise within the first 12 to 14 weeks of pregnancy.

In New Zealand's parliament, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's Labour Party has a comfortable majority, and the leader has long made the advancement of women's rights one of her top policy priorities.