Wellington, New Zealand, Mar 25, 2021 / 16:01 pm
New Zealand is poised to become the second country in the world to offer couples paid leave after having a miscarriage or stillbirth.
Under the bill, which passed its third reading in New Zealand's unicameral parliament March 24, provides that the unplanned end of a pregnancy by miscarriage or still-birth constitutes grounds for bereavement leave for the mother and her partner or spouse, and that the duration of the bereavement leave should be up to three days.
The bill is worded in such a way to apply to adoptive parents of a baby, as well as to parents having a baby via a surrogate.
Ginny Anderson, an MP of the New Zealand Labour Party, introduced the bill in 2019.