‘A small change that will make a meaningful difference’

Parents of stillborn babies are asking for a simple change to the law that would spare them unnecessary distress at one of the most challenging moments of their lives.

Cassie and Ryan Claydon are constituents of mine in Chadderton. They experienced the devastating loss of their daughter, Matilda at 36 weeks, and told me about the grief they endured in the hours, days and weeks that followed – and still feel to this day.

What made that experience even more painful was that, like all parents of stillborn babies in England and Wales, they were required to attend the register office in person to register their daughter’s stillbirth.

Having to wait alongside new parents with their babies at such a time of profound grief is an experience they do not want anyone else to have to endure.

As Cassie said; “The in-person requirement meant sitting among new parents, blissfully registering their babies’ births. There, in a waiting room filled with celebration, we were engulfed in a contrasting wave of sorrow. This compounded our trauma during what was already the worst moment of our lives.”

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The change they are calling for is simple: allow stillbirths to be registered remotely, as is already possible in Scotland.

Last year, around 2,300 families in England and Wales experienced the tragedy of a stillbirth. Giving bereaved parents the option of a telephone appointment, an online process or another form of electronic registration would remove the need to attend in person while preserving the integrity of the registration process.

On Wednesday 15 July, I will present a Ten Minute Rule Bill to Parliament that would make this change, with Cassie and Ryan in Parliament.

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The Bill has cross-party support. It is a straightforward reform that would be simple to introduce and simple to implement.

More broadly, I hope it prompts us to think about how the state interacts with its citizens. Too often, people are expected to navigate systems designed for another era, or processes that no longer make practical sense.

I know that most Ten Minute Rule Bills do not become law. But there is nothing to stop the Government adopting this proposal. It is a small change that would make a meaningful difference to grieving families, and I hope ministers choose to act.

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