An employment solicitor who suffered multiple miscarriages has called on the government to go further to improve legal rights for bereaved parents.
Shahrzad Seifi launched the campaign after her own personal experience of pregnancy loss and professionally recognising the lack of rights currently in place for parents who experience pregnancy loss pre-24 weeks through no fault of their own and without warning.
She is backing a petition calling for two weeks of paid statutory leave for mothers and partners who experience pregnancy loss before 24 weeks.
It comes after the government announced a change in the law which would allow all parents to take unpaid bereavement leave.
“The ability to grieve should not be a luxury only afforded to a few,” Shahrzad said.
“Each of my losses was different, and each carried its own emotional and physical complexities, but each one required time and space to heal away from the workplace.”
Shahrzad suffered two miscarriages before giving birth to a healthy baby girl, followed by a third miscarriage before giving birth to her son.
Currently, parents who suffer a stillbirth after 24 weeks, or lose a child under the age of 18, are entitled to a legal period of paid time off in most cases.
Many mothers do not qualify for such leave, forcing them to take sick leave or unpaid time off.
Shahrzad continued: “Because there is no legal provision for these women, they are forced to share their intimate and personal experiences with their employer in order to get time off.
“This shouldn’t be the case. Pregnancy loss is not a sickness with a clear set of symptoms.
“We know that one in four pregnancies ends in a miscarriage. The current approach in employment law is to ignore it. Change is long overdue.” she added.
An upcoming amendment to the Employment Rights Bill will give parents a legal right to take time off work if they experience pregnancy loss at any stage. It is unlikely, however, that any change implemented will be for paid leave.
Shahrzad’s employer Magara Law is one of a number of firms to have its own policy in place around pre-24 week pregnancy loss.
Founder Roy Magara said: “We are proud to be supporting Shahrzad in this deeply personal mission to improve support for parents going through the most difficult of times.
“Magara Law has developed its own paid bereavement leave policy for its employees, and I would like to see the law changed to promote greater compassion for all parents.”
Shahrzad now has two happy and healthy children, aged 12 and 8 years old, and enjoys a successful career.
She believes that a change in the law would help more women feel valued in the workplace: “This change would not only benefit
employees, but it would help employers retain staff who often struggle to return to work and leave the workforce altogether.
“I feel proud and fortunate to be working for a firm who do not need to wait for the law to be changed to show compassion to their employees.
“I hope others will choose to follow until the relevant changes in law are implemented. Change starts with talking about these issues, and every voice counts.”
