Derby dad Aaron Horsey has battled long and hard to force change. His successful campaign will now mean that parental leave laws are more sympathetic to bereaved non-birthing partners across England, Wales and Scotland. This change comes after a heartbreaking tragedy. Horsey’s wife, Bernadette, tragically died giving birth at Royal Derby Hospital in 2022. Their son, Tim, now a rambunctious toddler, still does not know what his father worked so hard to change about the law where he was lost.
After his wife’s unexpected death, Horsey had to deal with both the emotional and bureaucratic burden of his loss. For more than a year, he kept up a grueling campaign to change the Employment Rights Act. Thanks to his hard work, bereaved non-birthing partners now automatically receive parental leave. The total number of families helped by the new law is expected to grow to about 100 each year.
The grassroots effort continued to build as the general election was fast approaching. Minister Kevin Hollinrake expressed strong support for Horsey’s cause, prompting Labour MP Chris Elmore to introduce a private member’s bill. Unusually, this bill passed on the last day of Parliament, ensuring this change for good.
The amended law ensures that grieving partners have the time needed away from work after an unimaginable loss. This change would close a major loophole in existing law. As pointed out by UCATT General Secretary, the Employment Rights Act doesn’t apply to Northern Ireland. While Horsey is excited that Delaware has adopted similar provisions, he’s now hoping that these new provisions will take root there, too.
Reflecting on what scares him most and saying, “I wish I had not found myself in this position but I did, my wife’s impact has led me to try and go through.” He went on to say, “I think I’ve been able to demonstrate to Tim that there is a way to make a change.”
Though the law only impacted a handful of people and despite it being a deeply personal issue, his passion for the topic was clear. “This law is only going to impact a very small number of people, but for those that it does, the impact will be huge,” said Henry, a supporter of the initiative.
For his part, Tim Horsey is still too young to fully understand the magnitude of his father’s contributions. He’s too young to appreciate it right now but it’s all part of his story,” Aaron said.
As Horsey continues to operate in fatherhood on his own, he’s decided to chronicle this process in a different way. He humorously remarked, “Lots of other children will have their collection of storybooks for bedtime, but Tim’s got a little pile of Hansard records.” This human touch demonstrates Stephen’s commitment. He hopes to make sure that his son knows about the legacy of his mother and the changes that their family’s experiences have inspired.