Closed petition: Enable parents to register birth and death of babies carried beyond 24 weeks

Closed on 14 May 2026

We ask the Government to change the law so parents can register the birth and death of babies carried beyond 24 weeks, even if they passed earlier. Families deserve recognition and dignity, not the miscarriage label, for the babies they carried and gave birth to.

I lost my daughter, Winnie, during pregnancy the day before I reached 24 weeks. I knew my body and my babies’ movements, so I realised her heart had stopped. I carried her for another 8 weeks and gave birth to her via c-section at 32 weeks, alongside her siblings. Despite this, she was labelled a miscarriage. That word does not reflect the reality of carrying and birthing a baby after 24 weeks. It’s painful, dismissive, and denies families the recognition they deserve.

I want the Government and Parliament to change the law so that when a baby is carried beyond 24 weeks, parents have the right to register both the birth and the death, no matter when the baby passed. This change would bring dignity, acknowledgement, and comfort to grieving families.