Ripon mortician campaigning for baby loss equality
In the UK if a baby dies after 24 weeks of pregnancy the Children’s Funeral Fund will cover the cost of the funeral. However if a baby is stillborn before 24 weeks, there is no financial support for parents who want to say goodbye. As a mortuary technician and baby loss bereavement specialist I am calling for the government to extend the coverage to babies who have died before 24 weeks.
Our current system in the UK provides funds for the funerals of babies who die after the 24 weeks gestational age through the Children's Funeral Fund, but what about the hundreds of parents who experience the loss of a baby before 24 weeks?
According to research from the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS), approximately 2,000 babies are stillborn before the 24-week mark in the UK each year. Those parents, just like those who lose babies after 24 weeks, still have to say goodbye, and they should get the same financial support in doing so.
There is an emotional toll for these parents and it is compounded by the financial stress of these funeral costs. Everyone should have the right to a proper farewell with their child, no matter when the loss occurs. The grief of such loss is unimaginable and it is time we support all families experiencing it.
I , Evie Mawdsley want to call on the UK government to extend the coverage of the children's funeral fund to include babies who sadly pass away before the 24-week mark. This change would mean a lot to all the parents who lost, and will lose, their babies prematurely and to those of us who hold their hands in their darkest hours. This is a call for equality and compassion. We urge you to sign this petition to ask for fairness and support in our time of loss.