Jean-Lesages MP for Québec Solidaire Sol Zanetti is calling for five weeks’ bereavement leave for the parent who did not give birth during a perinatal death.
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Sol Zanetti is currently inviting Quebecers to sign an online petition. The petition calls on the Quebec government to amend the QPIP and the Respect for Labor Standards Act (LNT) so that in the event of the death of an unborn child that occurs between the 20th week of pregnancy and the child’s first anniversary, a Bereavement leave is granted for a five-week period is also granted to the parent who did not carry the child.
“Perinatal grief is more common than meets the eye, and the resulting suffering is immense,” Sol Zanetti said in a statement. It is a complex and little-recognized condition that requires us to take a break. Granting five weeks’ bereavement leave would cost the state nothing more and allow grieving parents to take care of their mental health.”
For her part, perinatal grief collaborator and trainer at Les Perséides organization in Quebec, Isabelle Caron, emphasized the unique challenges of being a parent who has not carried the child to term.
“[…] Not only must he be present at his own grief, but he must also support the mother in this horrific ordeal, she said. Studies show that the non-carrier parent often experiences a staged grief that can last up to three years after the loss. The parent is then often confronted with depressive and exhausted symptoms.”
The petition will be available on the Quebec National Assembly website until May 25.