News
Taylor Rose MW Partner Appears on BBC Radio Jersey for Miscarriage Leave Bill
KEELEY LENGTHORN >
Partner
Wed 22 March 2023
Keeley Lengthorn, Partner in our Family & Children department has told BBC Radio Jersey how she is backing a change in legislation on the island to help support parents who lose a child early on in pregnancy.
Keeley, who was named Solicitor of The Year in 2022, has championed the introduction of a new legislation in the UK Parliament calling for parents who lose a child within 24 weeks to be eligible to three days paid leave from work.
She was inspired by a law in New Zealand after losing her son George and discovering there’s no support for parents who lose a child early in the UK.
In a new interview broadcast on Monday, March 20th Keeley explained to the BBC’s Jenny Mullin: “On the third of March last year, I sadly lost my son George at 22 and a half weeks, he was born sleeping.”
“He was my third loss, having suffered an early miscarriage and then a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. It became apparent to me that there was no protection for anybody losing a child under 24 weeks.
So, I kept an eye on New Zealand legislation which has enacted a policy across New Zealand to allow all employees, no matter your status, three days statutory paid leave in the event of a loss after 24 weeks.
I presented it to my HR director who thereafter enacted the policy at Taylor Rose MW, which is the firm that I work for.”
She added, “After I lost George it became apparent to me that people were having to return to work so soon particularly after suffering such a devastating loss.
The law in its current state in the UK is that despite the fact that I to had to suffer the grief of losing a child on Thursday evening, I would have to return back to work at 9am the next day.
So I am pushing for George’s Law which will allow just three days to mirror that of New Zealand. We’ve got the second reading in Parliament for the Private Member’s Bill on Friday, which we hope will be a success.”
Keeley’s proposal is being backed by a charity in Jersey called Phillip’s Footprints, which supports parents who have suffered the loss of a child.
Jo Nash, who set up the charity, wants to introduce George’s Law in Jersey and paid tribute to Keeley’s campaigning.
She added, “She’ came to Jersey for a conference and what she’s doing trying to give to lots of people is that bit of protection in law is just fantastic.”
