Content warning: this Zedline contains mentions of miscarriage and still birth.
New Zealand has become the second country in the world, after India, to pass legislation giving mothers and partners the right to paid leave following a miscarriage or still birth.
Labour Party MP Ginny Andersen said the bill recognises that grief is not a sickness, but a loss, and should not tap into sick leave. She said that one in four women in New Zealand experience a miscarriage.
The leave provisions also apply to parents planning to have a child through surrogacy or adoption.
If you’d like to talk to someone in relation to pregnancy, birth, and baby issues, you can call 1800 882 436 to speak to a maternal child health nurse.