Petition · past parliament
Provide paid miscarriage leave to women who lose a pregnancy before 24 weeks.
Closed
1,285 signatures
What the petition asks
Currently, if you miscarry before 24 weeks (almost six months) you are not entitled to any paid leave - it will be at the discretion of your doctor to sign you off, or not. We are asking for statutory paid miscarriage leave, similar to what the New Zealand government have recently introduced.
We want the UK government to investigate how much paid leave would be appropriate, and to introduce a policy whereby any woman who miscarries would be able to take paid time off to recover, if she feels she needs it.
In New Zealand, anyone who miscarries is entitled to three days paid leave. This isn't a huge amount - but it's enough time to deal with the initial physical disruption that comes with pregnancy loss, and it's a whole lot better than nothing.
In New Zealand, anyone who miscarries is entitled to three days paid leave. This isn't a huge amount - but it's enough time to deal with the initial physical disruption that comes with pregnancy loss, and it's a whole lot better than nothing.
Timeline
| 1 Apr 2021 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 1 Oct 2021 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
1,285
Status
Closed
Opened
1 Apr 2021
Closed
1 Oct 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.