Women with serious illnesses will be allowed to defer maternity leave

Kat O'Connor

Women with serious illnesses can now defer maternity leave in Ireland

Cabinet has agreed to allow women with serious illnesses to defer their maternity leave in Ireland.

The major step forward has been hailed by the public after it was approved on Wednesday, July 31st.

Women in treatment for serious illnesses like cancer will now be able to defer maternity leave for up to a year.

They will also be able to match the deferral already offered to new dads in cases of serious illnesses.

They can defer maternity leave for 52 weeks once a medical certificate is provided.

The deferral period includes both mental and physical illnesses.

This move has been praised by charities including the Irish Cancer Society, but they stressed that the legislation should be passed “as quickly as possible”.

In a statement, CEO Averil Power said:

“Currently, women with cancer can’t defer their maternity leave until their treatment ends. This means that when their maternity leave runs out, working mothers have to return to work and never get back the vital bonding time they missed when they were sick.

“The Irish Cancer Society’s ‘Leave Our Leave’ campaign, led by women affected, has been highlighting the distressing impact this is having on women and their babies,” she added.

“We’re delighted that legislation is now moving forward,” she added.

“Women affected won’t spend their maternity leave receiving life-saving cancer treatment”

There’s no doubt the legislation will make a major difference to new mums in treatment for serious illnesses.

Cancer survivor, Erica Tierney said the news is “a huge step forward”.

“On behalf of every mother and family who’s had to deal with cancer and pregnancy, I am so happy to hear the government have listened and responded to our campaign of the last two years to let us postpone our maternity leave.

“It’s almost impossible to imagine what we’ve gone through but I’m so relieved to know that mams like us will be able to do this. Since my diagnosis in 2019, about 270 other women have gone through this devastation.

“This news is a huge step forward and I now wait with bated breath to see the legislation completed as soon as possible, so that women affected won’t spend their maternity leave receiving life-saving cancer treatment but making precious memories with their babies instead.”