Important:

This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament

Rejected petition Allow pregnant women to have a birthing partner to all antenatal appts.

Pregnant women should not be expected to attend antenatal appts alone, particularly scans. Imagine a newly pregnant woman worrying about her first scan, wondering if they’ll find a heartbeat and knowing she has to do it alone. Or having attended her appt to be told there is no heartbeat, alone.

More details

A friend of mine has recently attended a routine scan. Under local rules, she was not permitted to have her husband in the room. She found out that day that she had lost her baby. She then had to make plans for delivery of her angel; alone. She then had to tell her husband the news. Meanwhile the uk population can attend gyms, pools and nail bars as much as they like. Liverpool lifted a piece of metal in the presence & support of their family. But pregnant women are being put under undue stress.

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

It’s about something that the UK Government or Parliament is not directly responsible for.

Decisions about visitors are a matter for the NHS, not the Government or House of Commons.

On 5 June, the NHS’s suspension of hospital visiting was lifted. This means that visiting is now subject to local discretion by trusts and other NHS bodies. You should check with your maternity team and sonography unit for their policy on visitors attending antenatal appointments, including scans.

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.