Employment leave is a step forward — but support must reflect the diversity of pregnancy endings

In September 2026, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced that the UK government is extending statutory parental bereavement leave entitlements to include two weeks unpaid leave for early pregnancy endings.

We (Victoria and Susie) have written a short response piece in the The Conversation, calling for the leave to be paid and for a more expansive framing that recognises the wide range of emotional responses to pregnancy endings — including but not limited to grief. You can find the article here.