System must be more compassionate - Cllrs

The elected members of Cavan County Council added their voices to the rising chorus calling for the introduction of compassionate leave for parents navigating the heartbreak of miscarriage or infant loss.

As it stands, Irish law grants mothers 26 weeks’ maternity leave only if a miscarriage or stillbirth occurs after the 23rd week of pregnancy. Partners receive two weeks’ paternity leave after the 24-week mark. But for loss earlier than that there’s no such statutory paid leave - just a catch-all “sick leave” - a term many feel is cold and deeply unsympathetic.

At the council’s November meeting, Independent Ireland councillor Shane P. O’Reilly tabled a motion mirroring new UK reforms that guarantee at least one week of paid leave for miscarriages before 24 weeks. On a national level, the Pregnancy Loss (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 - currently making its way through the Oireachtas - proposes five days’ leave for women, 2.5 days for partners, and the creation of a voluntary, confidential pregnancy-loss register.

For Cllr O’Reilly, the campaign is both personal and urgent. Calling the issue “sensitive” and “far too common”, he recalled listening to an RTÉ Liveline episode dedicated entirely to pregnancy loss. As a father of five, he admitted having “a lump in my throat the size of an apple”. One story - from a father whose wife had suffered four miscarriages - left him “disgusted” at how grieving parents are treated by the State.

Drawing on his experience as an undertaker outside of the council chamber, Cllr O’Reilly praised the “exemplary” compassion he has witnessed from staff at Cavan General Hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda, though he believes GPs are often left to support families without the specialist resources such trauma requires.

And the loss, he noted, ripples outwards: grandparents, siblings, and relatives.

Despite improvements in infant-mortality rates and the seismic shifts brought about by the repeal of the 8th Amendment, Cllr O’Reilly says the State’s support still lags behind reality.

“Loss is loss. Bereavement is bereavement. Every single life is precious.”

His motion drew support across the chamber.

Fianna Fáil councillor Áine Smith spoke candidly about the emotional toll on couples, especially those already grappling with infertility.

The term “sick leave”, she argued, is insulting.

Like Cllr O’Reilly, she praised the “incredible” work of Féileacáin, the national charity supporting families affected by pregnancy and infant loss.

Cllr Patricia Walsh recalled her own miscarriage - at a time when such experiences were “swept under the carpet”. The isolation she felt dealing with the loss was profound.

“There really was not a lot of support,” she said, remembering back.

Cathaoirleach John Paul Feeley also endorsed the proposal, describing parenthood as a “privilege” many hold dear - and one that makes the pain of loss all the more acute.

“If even something small can be done at national level, it should be done.”