Germany is extending maternity protection for women to include those who have suffered a miscarriage after they’ve entered the 13th week of pregnancy, according to a report by Deutsche Welle.
Germany’s lower house of parliament passed the law last week, with a majority of lawmakers voting in favour of the bill. If passed in the upper chamber, the new regulation would see women who miscarry after 13 weeks gain the option of taking maternity leave. Lawmaker Sarah Lahrkamp told Deutsche Welle the legislation aims to support women during a period of physical and emotional recovery.
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While women in Germany are entitled to paid maternity leave starting six weeks before the birth and continuing for eight weeks after the birth, the law didn’t apply in the event of a miscarriage, noted the report. It said women who suffered a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy had to apply for medical leave.
The upper house of the German parliament is set to vote on the law on Feb. 14 and, if approved, it could potentially go into effect as of June 1.
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