Navan senator welcomes government move to introduce paid miscarriage leave for women in employment

Meath West Senator Linda Nelson Murray has spoken of her own heartbreaking experience of pregnancy loss after the Government approved plans to introduce paid miscarriage leave for women in employment.

The Fine Gael senator, who has previously revealed she suffered five miscarriages, said she has been inundated with messages from women across Ireland since Cabinet gave the green light to draft legislation providing five days' paid leave following a miscarriage.

The proposal, which was approved by Cabinet this week, follows more than a year of work by a cross-party Oireachtas group on pregnancy and infant loss, of which Senator Nelson Murray is a member.

Speaking to the Meath Chronicle, Senator Nelson Murray said the move represents long-overdue recognition for women experiencing one of life's most devastating losses.

"I've struggled myself in terms of miscarriages and loss and how difficult it is," she said.

"We started a cross-party Oireachtas group on pregnancy and infant loss and our first two goals were to bring in miscarriage leave and to establish a baby loss register."

The proposed legislation will entitle women who suffer a miscarriage to five days' paid leave. Senator Nelson Murray said it would ensure women no longer have to rely on sick leave immediately after losing a pregnancy.

"I spoke to a teacher who got a call from the hospital telling her she was losing her baby while she was standing in the school toilets," she said.

"She had to go back and teach because there was no leave available. This means women won't have to do that anymore."

The senator said the legislation recognises that every woman experiences pregnancy loss differently.

"Some people need to get back to work straight away, while others need time with their family or partner to grieve," she said.

"What this means is that women will finally have that choice."

Senator Nelson Murray said her own experiences motivated her determination to campaign for change.

She revealed that alongside living with endometriosis, she spent more than seven years trying to have children and suffered five miscarriages, including the loss of her eldest daughter's twin.

"I know what this is like," she said.

"I remember being about 18 or 20 weeks pregnant and every time I went for a scan I turned my head away until they told me there was a heartbeat because I'd previously been at scans where there wasn't.

"I remember driving to Blanchardstown afterwards and parking outside Mamas and Papas. I sat there thinking, 'Am I even allowed to go in? Is somebody going to tap me on the shoulder and say, "What are you doing here? This isn't real."'"

She said many women who experience miscarriage feel there is little recognition of their loss, particularly in the early stages of pregnancy.

Alongside miscarriage leave, the cross-party group is now working to establish a baby loss register that would allow parents who lose a baby before 23 weeks' gestation to receive formal recognition of their loss.

While welcoming the Cabinet decision, Senator Nelson Murray said she was equally proud of how politicians from across the political spectrum had worked together to achieve it.

"Sometimes cross parties can work together to achieve something amazing," she said.

"This isn't a Linda thing. It's not a Fine Gael thing or a Fianna Fáil thing. We did this together, and together we've achieved something that will make a real difference to families."

The legislation will now be drafted before being brought before the Oireachtas.