Duckworth, Pressley introduce bill to provide paid family leave for those who experience miscarriage

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) introduced a bill on Tuesday that calls for employers to provide at least three days of paid leave for workers who experience a miscarriage.

The bill, dubbed the Support Through Loss Act, aims to invest $45 million a year to the National Institutes of Health for federal research into miscarriages and pregnancy loss.

It would also require that the Department of Health and Human Services, including the CDC, develop and spread public information regarding pregnancy loss, such as statistics on the matter and treatment options.

According to the CDC, about one in 100 pregnancies at 20 weeks of carrying and later are affected by stillbirth. Roughly 24,000 babies are stillborn in the U.S. per year.

The lawmakers wrote that while pregnancy loss is “an experience shared across communities,” it can sometimes feel like an “isolating experience” because of the lack of truthful information.

“Our bill sends a message to families that they are not alone, and would support those experiencing the loss of a pregnancy by providing them with the resources, workforce supports, and care necessary to recover and heal,” Pressley said in a statement.