Govt must go further on miscarriage and fertility leave as Enterprise Committee examines Labour legislation this Wednesday – Sherlock
Govt must go further on miscarriage and fertility leave as Enterprise Committee examines Labour legislation this Wednesday - Sherlock - The Labour Party
- Oireachtas Enterprise Committee to examine Labour’s Reproductive Health Leave Related Bill this Wednesday at 12:30pm
- Witnesses to include INTO, Leanbh mo Chroí, Miscarriage Association of Ireland, ReproWork Project and Merrion Fertility Clinic
- Labour Bill provides 20 days’ paid leave following miscarriage and 10 days for fertility and reproductive healthcare treatment
- Govt proposing five days paid leave and does not include fertility treatment
Labour health spokesperson Marie Sherlock TD has urged Government to go further on miscarriage and fertility leave as the Oireachtas Enterprise Committee prepares to examine Labour legislation this Wednesday.
Stakeholders including representatives from the INTO, Leanbh mo Chroí, the Miscarriage Association of Ireland, ReproWork Project and Merrion Fertility Clinic are due to join the sitting of the Committee.
Labour first introduced this legislation in March 2021 to provide a protected 20 days’ leave for those who experience pregnancy loss, as well as 10 days’ paid leave for employees undergoing fertility treatment or accessing reproductive healthcare including IVF.
Government has published the General Scheme of Pregnancy Loss Leave Bill proposing only five days’ leave per year for a person experiencing pregnancy loss.
Deputy Sherlock said:
“The General Scheme Bill put forward by this Government totally misunderstands the real experience of miscarriage and fails to take into account the thousands of couples who seek fertility treatment when struggling to conceive.
“Government has on the one hand accepted the principle that people experiencing pregnancy loss need a specific statutory entitlement to leave, but its proposals does not match the 20 days provided for in Labour’s bill.
“Leaving fertility treatment entirely out of the statutory framework is a mistake.
“For someone going through IVF or another course of fertility treatment, appointments, procedures and the physical and emotional impact of treatment can involve repeated absences from work. Workers can’t be left relying on annual leave, sick leave or the goodwill of their employer.
“That is not good enough. People undergoing fertility treatment should not have to use up their annual leave or explain deeply personal medical circumstances simply to access treatment.
“The Enterprise Committee now has an opportunity to examine the details of Labour’s legislation and to hear directly from stakeholders about why comprehensive reproductive health leave is needed.
“Government’s decision to bring forward a Pregnancy Loss Leave Bill shows an acceptance of the need for statutory recognition. This follows half a decade of the Labour Party moving this legislation across the Oireachtas.
“The PLACES report, commissioned by then Minister Roderic O’Gorman and published in January 2024 recommended the introduction of statutory paid leave for pregnancy loss before viability.
“Pregnancy loss and fertility treatment can be profoundly difficult experiences and people need care, time and space to recover without fear of the impact on their employment.
“We should not have a two-tier system where one aspect of reproductive healthcare is recognised in law while another is left to the discretion of individual employers.
“The message from Labour is clear: workers should have the right to take leave when they need it most, and that should include both pregnancy loss and fertility treatment.”