The Government is seeking to delay for a year progressing a Bill that would provide paid leave for women who experience early pregnancy loss.
The Labour Party’s Bill sets out for up to 20 days paid leave for any woman who experiences an early pregnancy loss and up to 10 days for all people seeking to access fertility treatments such as IVF.
The Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021 was debated in the Dáil on Thursday.
Minister of State Neale Richmond said the Government wanted the Bill to be put forward for debate at second stage again in 12 months time to allow sufficient time for the development of legislative proposals.
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Mr Richmond said it was not a decision the Government had come to “lightly”, but there were steps “we have to take in order to ensure this is done properly”.
The Dublin-Rathdown TD said a research study commissioned by the Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman, which examined the workplace experience of people dealing with pregnancy loss before 24 weeks gestation, had only just been completed.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik said it is estimated that around 14,000 women experience pregnancy loss each year and that maternity protection law currently only offers leave to those who endure this experience after 24 weeks.
Ms Bacik said there had been an “outpouring of correspondence” since the Bill was first introduced in 2021 from women across the country who had suffered pregnancy loss and couples trying to balance work commitments with IVF treatment.
“I’ve received such personal and poignant messages from women struggling to conceive, having to undergo successive cycles of IVF without success, from women who’ve experienced miscarriage early and not so early, up to 24 weeks is simply not recognised in our workplaces, there’s no entitlement,” she said.
“Women have to take sick leave, had to take unpaid leave in order to recover from their experience.”
The Dublin Bay South TD added it was a “widespread issue” but also “an unspoken one”. Ms Bacik said the Bill passed all stages in the Seanad, and had Government support there, while hoped it would accept the Bill at second stage and work with her party to bring it into law.
“We’re very disappointed to see the Government seeking to delay this Bill by 12 months, when we know that an election likely have taken place in 12 months, certainly within 14 months will have had to take place and yet the second reading of the Bill is to be delayed by 12 months,” she added.
“There’s no reality therefore if the Government’s amendment is accepted of this Bill becoming law in the term of this Government. That’s deeply disappointing, not for us in Labour so much but for all of those who are so clearly and desperately affected.”
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