As Australia takes huge step towards miscarriage leave advocates call for targeted funding

Advocates for pregnancy loss survivors are demanding the federal government back up its legislative support for paid miscarriage leave with funding for support services.

The Senate on Wednesday night passed historic changes to the Fair Work Act, giving Australian couples who experience miscarriage two days of paid bereavement leave.

The changes now just need to be signed off on by the House of Representatives. 

Samantha Payne, CEO and co-founder of The Pink Elephants Support Network, has welcomed the Senate's move but says more needs to be done.

“Today is another huge step. The fact we’ve got it to this stage is incredible. It’s validating all for all of our babies that have been lost,” she told SBS News.

“We are now calling on the government to fund miscarriage support and research. It’s not happening quick enough, you can’t change the law and not accept that women will need help."

Ms Payne said there is currently no funding for specific miscarriage support services.

"There is funding for stillbirth support but none for miscarriage. Our miscarriage community warrants its own funding that is specific to early pregnancy loss," she said.

"Miscarriage is a big enough problem, it doesn’t deserve to be bundled in with other support.”

Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes said during debate this week although up to one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage there is still a stigma surrounding the topic.

“Miscarriage is still seen in some ways as a taboo topic, something we don’t talk about or something we acknowledge as we should,” she told the Senate.

Senator Hughes revealed her mother had seven miscarriages before she was born, including one carried to almost full-term, who was named Sally.

“Any parent will tell you from the moment they find out they were expecting they were parents, it was their baby,” she said.

One in four pregnancies in Australia ends in miscarriage and most happen in the first 12 weeks, research shows.

Every day across the country, 282 women report pregnancy loss before 20 weeks gestation.

One in three pregnant women over the age of 35 also experience pregnancy loss.

Melanie Keep and her husband Richard have experienced two miscarriages.

Melanie Keep, 36, experienced a miscarriage early in 2019 and again this year in June, a week-and-a-half before the bereavement leave amendment was introduced to the Senate.

She said hearing political leaders discuss miscarriage helped validate her loss.

“In June when the bill was introduced that started a flurry of conversations, it became OK to talk about miscarriage," said Ms Keep.

“In 2019, when I had my first miscarriage I felt like I was convincing people that my baby was real. Now in 2021, the public conversation by celebrities, political leaders and the work by Pink Elephants has helped people talk about pregnancy loss."

Ms Keep believes legislating bereavement leave for miscarriages is only the first step.

"I think that legislative leave is a very important first step but there is a need for ongoing care that needs to be organised at an operational level.”

People seeking support and information about miscarriage support can visit The Pink Elephants Support Network website.

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