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

Debate contribution by Mr Gerry Carroll on 4 November 2025.

MLA

Mr Gerry Carroll

Party at the time

People Before Profit Alliance

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 5216794

Read the official Assembly record

Text

As I have said before, the Bill's broad aims are important for everyone who has experienced baby loss, death or stillbirth. I commend everybody who has spoken out, including Ms Armstrong and other Members who have experienced that sadness and tragedy. There are, however, gaps in the Bill. I have raised that before. It is completely unconscionable that the Department and the Minister are including a provision to charge for certificates. I have been consistent on that. The reason given for that is not strong or robust enough. The only argument that I have heard from the Department and the Minister is that, in the future, somebody may ask for a large number of certificates, thus costing the Department money. That is my reading of the explanation that has been given. As I have said before in Committee, not only does that show a contemptible view of the public but it will cause harm and probably trauma to people who have suffered and been bereaved, thus rendering the Bill's aims redundant and counterproductive. Amendment Nos 2 and 3 deal with that. Amendment No 2 is stronger, so I urge people to support that amendment. Amendment No 4 seems OK on the face of it, unless the Member has other motives. I am interested to hear from the Minister on it. I have taken note of comments from Kellie Armstrong and Steve Aiken as well. Amendment No 5 tries to stigmatise women who have had terminations and will put people under pressure to think that, in the future, they may need a certificate or that a certificate may be compulsory and they will have to mention their termination. It looks as though it is designed to create a chill factor around a healthcare issue for women. I will oppose it for that reason and urge others to do so as well. Amendment No 6 strengthens the accountability mechanisms in the House and for the Committee to ensure that the regulations on certificates match what the public and grieving parents want and expect. We heard from Forget-me-not that language is important when it comes to bereavement. Often, legislation can be misunderstood. It comes across as dry and not compassionate, even when it is trying not to be. The language is really important in this case. Clause 8 deals with the rights of same-sex couples. It is ironic — cruelly ironic — that parties who talk about women's rights to attack trans people cannot allow or stomach same-sex parents who are women the chance to register a birth or stillbirth. I highlight that hypocrisy. The clause is a step forward for parents who are non-birth mothers, although there is an anomaly and a gap that I have raised with the Minister and in Committee. Constituents of mine who go through IVF treatment in the South do not have the same rights to register a birth or stillbirth in the North.

There cannot be a partitionist approach for same-sex parents and so many families.

I tried to introduce an amendment about the lack of bereavement support nurses and services in place, but I was told that that issue was connected to Westminster legislation. I raise it because it is something that the Minister and the Health Minister need to tackle. The Member who spoke previously touched on the issue. As, hopefully, the Bill becomes law, it is likely that a large number of bereaved people will come forward, which is their right, but there is no coordination or plan in place from Ministers to address that situation. The answer to a question for written answer that I submitted revealed that there is one bereavement services coordinator in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, there is none in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust and there is one in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, that the number of bereavement nurses in each trust area is one or zero, and that the number of bereavement midwives in each trust area is two, one or zero. There is a massive issue in that regard because of the good aims of the Bill: people who are traumatised or have issues that they need to express are going to come forward, but, unfortunately, the support will not be there for them. That is not to downplay the important work that is done by healthcare workers already, but they are a small number of people who are under pressure. The voluntary groups also do tremendous work, but the services are not really in place, and, with respect, I do not hear a plan from you, Minister, or the Health Minister to try to address that issue.

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

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:45 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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