I wanted to talk about something positive. In this article, author Rob Pucheta writes about how New Zealand passed a law that mandates that businesses provide 6 weeks of paid leave for women who have a miscarriage. Two important things that Pucheta touched on was that there were "many employers (that) already provide leave for employees who have suffered a miscarriage", and "The bill passed without any dissent, and the lawmakers who spoke in its final debate unanimously praised the contents of the legislation."
On the first point, it's interesting to see who shapes the norms and practices in society. Some argue that industry shapes laws and others argue that laws shape industry. There is always and inevitably a push and pull of both. I think it's cool that there were already businesses that thought this issue was important enough to back on their own policy. I also think it's cool that the country itself was willing to back this bill up, which brings me to the second point. The fact that the legislature backed this bill up and that it was supported so much was really heartwarming for me. I think it's fair to say that even a whisper of a bill like this in the US would cause an uproar, and I think it's not only sad but embarrassing. There are laws that allow the bereavement of the once-living but not for miscarriages and it seems to me that it's only logical to acknowledge the fact that a miscarriage is an emotionally devastating experience as well. I don't imagine the experience is as easy to cope with as simply saying, "Welp, it is what it is" and moving on. I think New Zealand often sets a very good and progressive example for the rest of the world and I'm rooting for them. I hope one day the United States would be more willing to implement positive change like this.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/25/asia/new-zealand-bereavement-leave-miscarriage-scli-intl/index.html
- Jake T. Domingo - Blog post #8
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