Debate contribution: Deaths, Still-Births and Baby Loss Bill: Further Consideration Stage
Debate contribution by Miss Jemma Dolan on .
- MLA
- Miss Jemma Dolan
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 18 November 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- Deaths, Still-Births and Baby Loss Bill: Further Consideration Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5244157
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I welcome the continued progress of the Bill, which modernises our process for registering deaths and stillbirths and introduces a baby loss certificate scheme. It is important legislation with compassion and equality at its core. It will help to reduce stress for those who have suffered a bereavement by enabling the electronic transfer of documents, providing the same rights as others for same-sex female couples and ensuring formal recognition for parents who have lost a baby prior to 24 weeks. During the Committee Stage, it was extremely poignant to hear directly from parents who have had a heartbreaking loss, and I welcome the Finance Minister's commitment to engage with parents to help shape the development of the baby loss certificate scheme. I again acknowledge those parents who shared their stories with us and thank them for their role in shaping the legislation. One significant aspect of their contributions was that we ensure that the scheme is as accessible as possible. I share the desire that I have heard from others in the Chamber that there should be no unnecessary barriers to people accessing a certificate during a time of immense loss, and I will therefore support the amendment, which prohibits charging for either the original certificate or its copy. While our different political views are often on display here, this legislation is an example of positive changes that, by working together in partnership, this Assembly can provide for people in emotionally challenging circumstances.
243 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: 0.03 (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 (0.92).
- 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 | 0.04 | 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 | 0.92 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | 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 | 0.95 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.05 |
| 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 13:52 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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