<p>New Zealand's parliament has unanimously passed legislation giving working mothers and their partners the right to paid leave after suffering a miscarriage or stillbirth, in what is believed to be one of the first provisions of its type in the world.</p>.<p>The bereavement allowance, passed by parliament late Wednesday, gives employees three days' leave when a pregnancy ends with a stillbirth, rather than forcing them to use their sick leave.</p>.<p>Lawmaker Ginny Andersen said a stillbirth should be recognised with dedicated bereavement leave but the stigma that still surrounds the issue meant many people were reluctant to discuss it.</p>.<p>"The grief that comes with miscarriage is not a sickness; it is a loss, and that loss takes time -- time to recover physically and time to recover mentally," she told parliament.</p>.<p>Andersen said the leave extends to a woman's partner if she suffers a miscarriage, as well as to people who were attempting to have a child through surrogacy.</p>.<p>She said the law continued the New Zealand parliament's role in pioneering women's rights, most notably on voting rights, equal pay and decriminalising abortion.</p>.<p>"I can only hope that while we may be one of the first, we will not be one of the last, and that other countries will also begin to legislate for a compassionate and fair leave system that recognises the pain and the grief that comes from miscarriage and stillbirth," she said.</p>
<p>New Zealand's parliament has unanimously passed legislation giving working mothers and their partners the right to paid leave after suffering a miscarriage or stillbirth, in what is believed to be one of the first provisions of its type in the world.</p>.<p>The bereavement allowance, passed by parliament late Wednesday, gives employees three days' leave when a pregnancy ends with a stillbirth, rather than forcing them to use their sick leave.</p>.<p>Lawmaker Ginny Andersen said a stillbirth should be recognised with dedicated bereavement leave but the stigma that still surrounds the issue meant many people were reluctant to discuss it.</p>.<p>"The grief that comes with miscarriage is not a sickness; it is a loss, and that loss takes time -- time to recover physically and time to recover mentally," she told parliament.</p>.<p>Andersen said the leave extends to a woman's partner if she suffers a miscarriage, as well as to people who were attempting to have a child through surrogacy.</p>.<p>She said the law continued the New Zealand parliament's role in pioneering women's rights, most notably on voting rights, equal pay and decriminalising abortion.</p>.<p>"I can only hope that while we may be one of the first, we will not be one of the last, and that other countries will also begin to legislate for a compassionate and fair leave system that recognises the pain and the grief that comes from miscarriage and stillbirth," she said.</p>