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Government not 'gutsy' enough to implement paid miscarriage leave claims Mylene Klass
21 October 2024, 11:18
Myleene Klass speaks to Nick Ferrari about miscarriages and the workplace
Mylene Klass has told Nick Ferrari that calls for paid miscarriage leave are "stuck in the mire" because the government isn't "gutsy" enough to take on the issue.
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The Classic FM presenter told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast that the government "missed the opportunity" to address miscarriages in the women's health strategy, and women are suffering as a result.
She said "lack of care" for the 375 million women who have miscarried is costing the government more than the cost of support because leave policies are too confusing.
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"We don't want our women having to wait for three consecutive miscarriages before they receive any kind of medical intervention," she said.
"When I spoke to a very high-up MP as to why we're not collecting data or why we're not officially helping miscarrying women, she said it would cost too much.
"And I asked her, well, what does too much look like? And she didn't have a figure. Well, I do.
"The official figure is 375 million miscarriages. Lack of care is what is currently costing the government and that 100 percent needs to be addressed because you can see the level of confusion."
She said confusion over whether to take sick leave or bereavement leave creates difficulties for employers and employees.
"Are we taking sick leave? Are we taking bereavement leave? What is the position for employers? And employees.
"Nobody knows because we're all stuck in this mire at the moment because nobody has wanted to be gutsy enough or fair to the women's suffering to address this."
A graded model of care that includes data collection would help officialize numbers and identify who requires care, Ms Klass added.
She said the identification process will send women to emergency pregnant units (EPU) instead of the 'postcode lottery' of A&E.
According to the NHS, 1 in 8 pregnancies will end in miscarriage. They often happen before someone knows they're pregnant.
