A recent ruling has changed the way miscarriages are handled in Germany -- and the related changes come into effect from the start of June.
Earlier this year, MPs in the Bundestag voted to extend Mutterschutz - mandatory paid maternity leave - to include those who suffer a miscarriage.
The plan is to offer staggered periods of maternity leave for miscarriages that happen from the 13th week of pregnancy where those affected can claim for any loss of wages.
For instance, someone who loses a pregnancy from the 13th week would be entitled to two weeks of Mutterschutz, while a loss from the 17th week would give six weeks of paid protection. Women who suffer a miscarriage from the 20th week would be entitled to eight weeks of maternity leave.
The new rules aim to take into account the physical and mental strain that women can go through after a pregnancy loss. However, women are not obliged to take the leave if they prefer not to.
Until now, those affected by pregnancy loss have to ask for sick leave from their doctor if they wanted time off employment and they were not eligible for maternity care payments.
Special protection rights only applied when women lost their child after the 24th week of pregnancy or when the child weighed more than 500 grams. In legal terms, this is referred to as a stillbirth.
Miscarriage, which is defined as the sudden loss of a pregnancy up to the 24th week, affects around 90,000 women in Germany every year.
It is estimated that around 6,000 miscarriages occur between the 13th and 24th week of pregnancy. The majority of miscarriages - around 84,000 - are suffered by women up to the 12th week of pregnancy.
Under the plans, there is no entitlement to maternity protection for women who lose their baby before the three-month mark - but those affected can still talk to their doctor if they need time off work.
Germany generally offers women paid maternity leave from six weeks before the birth and for eight weeks after the birth.
READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about parental leave in Germany
When will the law come into force?
Having been approved by the Bundestag at the end of January, the law is finally coming into force as of Sunday, June 1st.
SPD parliamentary group deputy Sönke Rix said the move was a "long overdue step" that helped to finally recognise how difficult a miscarriage can be.
Families Minister Lisa Paus, of the SPD, said: "Pregnant women in Germany are finally getting the protection they need."
The law, which was supported across party lines, was also made possible thanks to the efforts of activist and writer Natascha Sagorski, who launched a petition for more maternity protections after losing a baby herself in the 10th week of pregnancy.
Sagorski also lodged a constitutional complaint against existing regulations in 2022 - but this was unsuccessful.
She welcomed the planned change in law but said this was only "one aspect" of the issue and called for more awareness campaigns.
Vocabulary
Miscarriage - (die) Fehlgeburt
Maternity protection period - (die) Mutterschutzfrist
Stillbirth - (die) Totgeburt
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