The Irish cabinet has approved legislation granting five days of paid statutory leave to individuals who experience a miscarriage before 23 weeks of pregnancy or an abortion before 12 weeks, under a proposal advanced by Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke.
The Pregnancy Loss Leave Bill requires employers to pay 70% of the worker's daily rate, capped at €110 per day, mirroring existing statutory sick leave provisions. Leave entitlement begins from a worker's first day on the job, though payment eligibility requires 13 weeks of service. Medical certification will be required. The measure is estimated to cost roughly €10 million annually.
Sinn Féin Senator Nicole Ryan has spearheaded the campaign for the legislation. The move follows similar provisions recently introduced in Northern Ireland and Malta, where Northern Ireland provides two weeks of leave to both parents at statutory pay rates.