Member's statement: Baby Loss Awareness Week
Member's statement by Mr Harry Harvey on .
- MLA
- Mr Harry Harvey
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 14 October 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Baby Loss Awareness Week
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5180497
Read the official Assembly record
Text
This week marks Baby Loss Awareness Week, a time to remember and honour the lives of babies who have died during pregnancy, at birth or shortly after. It is also a time to acknowledge the deep grief experienced by parents and families and to reaffirm our collective commitment to supporting those who have endured such unimaginable loss. This year marks the twenty-third year that Baby Loss Awareness Week will run, between 9 October and 15 October. Every day in the UK, 13 babies die before, during or after birth, and that figure does not include miscarriage. Across the country, families will light candles, wear pink and blue ribbons and take part in remembrance events to break the silence that too often surrounds baby loss. Their courage in sharing their stories helps others to feel less alone and encouraged to open compassionate conversations about miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death. The week culminates in a global wave of light at 7.00 pm on 15 October, when everyone is invited to light a candle and leave it burning for at least an hour to remember all babies. We must continue to advocate for high-quality bereavement care, better support for families and continued investment and research to reduce preventable deaths. To all parents who have lost a baby: your children are remembered, your grief is seen and your love endures. I invite all Members to join me in recognising Baby Loss Awareness Week and in supporting the families and organisations that are working tirelessly to bring comfort, awareness and hope.
256 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.26 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.54 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.37 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.04 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.02 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:35 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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