Miscarriage leave should be extended to women's partners too, ADPD
Both mothers and their partners 'should be given full psychological support'
Miscarriage leave and psychological support should also be extended to the partners of women who experience a pregnancy loss, the ADPD said on Thursday.
While supporting the call to introduce paid miscarriage leave, the ADPD said both the mother and her partner should be supported “in such a delicate situation” and leave should be offered to the woman’s partner so that they can help her “in this moment of physical and mental pain and loss”.
“While the government should offer leave and every treatment and support possible to women to ensure they can fully recover from their miscarriage, psychological assistance should also be offered. This treatment should include the partner as well,” ADPD chairperson Sandra Gauci said.
“Miscarriage is a physical and psychological trauma. In such a delicate situation, a woman should be given the chance to recover not just her physical health but also her mental wellbeing,” she added.
A national conference on Wednesday the lack of a separate hospital ward for women who experience a miscarriage. A dedicated ward in Mater Dei Hospital for women facing pregnancy complications was announced in 2022 but no further news about any progress on this has been made since then.
At the conference, the head of obstetrics and gynaecology at Mater Dei, Yves Muscat Baron called for paid miscarriage leave without outlining how long it should be. He said that three days is definitely too short but six weeks could be too long and detrimental to a woman’s mental health as “she should not be stuck inside alone for so long”.