Debate contribution: Deaths, Still-Births and Baby Loss Bill: Final Stage
Debate contribution by Ms Diane Forsythe on .
- MLA
- Ms Diane Forsythe
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 2 December 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- Deaths, Still-Births and Baby Loss Bill: Final Stage
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5271838
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I am also pleased to speak at the Bill's Final Stage today. The legislation will see compassion being written into the law in Northern Ireland through the registration of deaths process. As others have said, it is a great example of how we can deliver something really good here when everyone works together. When baby loss certificates were introduced in Great Britain, many people called for them here. The Health Minister and the Finance Minister shared a commitment to introducing them quickly, but I congratulate the Finance Minister on being the one to bring the scheme forward through the Bill. When the Committee moved to replace the COVID regulations, we recognised the opportunity for legislation to provide for baby loss certificates. We thank the officials for working at pace to develop that within the Bill. Working alongside the Minister, our Committee is really pleased to have been able to bring forward the scheme. The Committee heard evidence from members of the Forget-me-not Group who shared their powerful stories, and, in debating the Bill, Members bravely spoke of their experiences. During Baby Loss Awareness Week, Committee colleague Jemma Dolan had a ribbon display at the front of Stormont, where we welcomed some of those groups. It was a really powerful moment as we joined together to remember all the babies who had been lost. As the legislation has progressed, it has opened up conversations, and I am proud to have played a small part in that. So many people have reached out to me on baby loss in generations past. It is my understanding that the legislation will, through the guidelines that will be developed, have a retrospective element. For those who have lost a baby but have never spoken about it and who are starting to move forward in their grief, receiving a certificate will be powerful and important for them in that journey. Again, we think of all those who have experienced loss, and we remember all those babies. We are really pleased that, through the Bill's passage at Final Stage today, we are recognising the lives of all babies who have been lost in Northern Ireland. We welcome the legislation.
362 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 | 0.24 | 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 | 0.51 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.41 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.03 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.02 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:06 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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