New maternity protection in Germany: Women better protected after miscarriage!

New maternity protection in Germany: Women better protected after miscarriage!

From June 2025, a new law comes into force in Germany, which grants women entitled to maternity protection after miscarriage. This regulation represents significant progress in the support of women who have to suffer from the physical and emotional stress of miscarriage. The new maternity protection, which was adopted by the Federal Council after February 14, 2025, is recognized by women's rights organizations as an important achievement because it should offer the women concerned time to relax. In Germany, maternity protection applies to women from the 13th week of pregnancy, whereby the duration of protection varies depending on the time of miscarriage.

The details of the stagated maternity protection are clearly defined: it is two weeks from the 13th week, six weeks from the 17th week and eight weeks from the 20th week of pregnancy. For dead births that occur from the 24th week of pregnancy, there is a claim to a uniform protection period of 14 weeks. During the maternity protection periods, women receive full wage compensation and social security protection. This regulation applies to dependent women, civil servants, soldiers and to legally insured self -employed, while privately insured persons are excluded from this regulation. The initiative to change the law goes back to the PR consultant Natascha Sagorski, who has revealed her own experiences. Vienna.at reports comprehensively on this topic.

legal situation in Austria

In contrast to the regulations in Germany, the legal situation in Austria remains unchanged. After a miscarriage there is no legal entitlement to maternity leave in Austria. Women are often forced to go back to work the following day. Maternity protection only comes into force in the event of a dead birth, if the birth weight is at least 500 grams. In other cases, women can only apply for sick leave. As a result, many women have to return to their everyday life without the necessary time for grief and recovery. DerStandard gives an impressive overview of the challenges affected women in Austria.

In addition, in Austria, protection against dismissal of dismissal of four weeks after a miscarriage applies. Since September 2024, women who suffer a miscarriage are entitled to midwifery aid from the 19th week of pregnancy. This regulation is intended to offer the women concerned at least some support measures, while there is a more comprehensive Maternity Protection Act in Germany.

comparison with other countries

The different regulations in Germany and Austria offer an interesting comparison, especially with regard to the measures that already exist in other countries. For example, countries such as New Zealand have legal provisions that provide for a paid break for both parents after a miscarriage. This shows how different the understanding of maternity protection is in different cultures and how important it is that new regulations are urgently met in Austria to better support the women concerned.