New Zealand Passes Grief Bill Allowing Paid Leave For Miscarriages And Stillbirths

New Zealand has become the first country to allow women and their partners to take a paid leave following a miscarriage or stillbirth.

The unanimous parliament vote approving the bill took place on Wednesday, USA Today reports. The new legislation allows women, who experience a stillbirth or miscarriage, and their partners to receive three days of paid bereavement leave.

Along with being offered to women and their partners, the paid leave will also apply to parents that were expecting a child through surrogacy and those who try to adopt.

During the final reading of the bill, Ginny Andersen, the Labour MP who introduced the bill, noted that the new legislation will allow women and their significant others to take bereavement leave without losing their sick days.

“The grief that comes with miscarriage is not a sickness; it is a loss, and that loss takes time – time to recover physically and time to recover mentally,” she said.

The bill won’t require women to show proof of their pregnancies to their employers and will apply to both known and unknown pregnancies.

New Zealand is the first country to acknowledge both losses in the workforce, CTV reports. Women in India who suffer from miscarriages are allowed to take six weeks of leave.

Andersen is hopeful the new law will inspire other countries to follow in New Zealand’s footsteps.

“I can only hope that while we may be one of the first, we will not be one of the last and that other countries will also begin to legislate for a compassionate and fair leave system that recognizes the pain and the grief that comes from miscarriage and stillbirth,” she stated.

This isn’t the first time the country has been a pioneer for women’s rights. In February, New Zealand began tackling period poverty by offering free sanitary products in schools.