Debate contribution: Deaths, Still-Births and Baby Loss Bill: Consideration Stage

Debate contribution by Miss Jemma Dolan on 4 November 2025.

MLA: Miss Jemma Dolan
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 4 November 2025
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Executive Committee Business
Heading: Deaths, Still-Births and Baby Loss Bill: Consideration Stage
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5216377

Text

This Bill will ensure that changes that modernised the process for death and stillbirth registration during COVID will be enshrined in permanent legislation. Enabling the electronic transfer of documents will make the registration process for families who have suffered a bereavement easier, reduce stress and improve overall efficiency, while also still allowing people the choice of opting for an in-person process if they wish. Ensuring equality for registering births and stillbirths for same-sex female couples is also an important aspect of the Bill. Moving forward, that will mean that they are able to register in the same manner as opposite-sex parents. The development of a baby loss certificate scheme will give families the opportunity to have formal recognition of their heartbreaking loss and send a clear message to parents who have lost a baby prior to 24 weeks that their love and grief is real and that they are not alone. During the Committee Stage, we heard directly from parents who have suffered such loss. I thank them for their courage in coming forward, sharing their experiences and helping to shape this positive legislation. Their voices must continue to be heard as we move forward. I welcome the commitment from the Finance Minister and his officials that they will continue to engage with those groups while designing the scheme to ensure that it meets their needs. However, it is disappointing that some seek to use this as an opportunity to oppose equality for all couples and to bring amendments that focus on creating division. I remain focused on the compassionate objectives of the Bill in its existing form and the benefits that it will bring to many people, particularly grieving parents. Throughout the Committee Stage, those directly affected by loss during pregnancy made it clear that the scheme should be as accessible as possible, and it is vital that the regulations that follow from the passing of the legislation reflect that. I look forward to the Bill progressing in the compassionate manner with which it has been dealt with to date.

341 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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: 0.06 (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).
Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.90).
The text criticises or condemns the framing or division (0.52).
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

Probability that each statement is true of this text (0 = no, 1 = yes). A criterion counts as met at 0.60 or above.
Question	Probability	Met?
Identity framing	0.09	No
Sectarian or communal antagonism	0.03	No
Cultural grievance politics	0.02	No
Dog-whistle messaging	0.06	No
Controversy escalation	0.11	No
Legitimate policy scrutiny	0.90	Yes
Overall judgement	0.06	At or below not-flagging threshold

Context and attribution (stance)
Option	Probability
No identity-based framing	0.47
Reports or questions it	0.01
Criticises or condemns it (chosen)	0.52
Adopts it	0.00

Subject area (top five)
Subject	Probability
Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues	0.97
Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups	0.03
No identity-related subject	0.00
Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials	0.00
Parades, bonfires and commemorations	0.00

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:41 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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