Parents in Belgium may soon have the option to officially recognise a stillborn child regardless of the pregnancy’s duration, under a proposal by MP Kristien Van Vaerenbergh (N-VA).
Currently, such recognition is only allowed after 140 days of pregnancy. Van Vaerenbergh aims to abolish this minimum threshold entirely.
“Parents experience grief no matter how far along the pregnancy was,” she said. “The 140-day minimum is an arbitrary and unnecessary restriction. For those who have been longing for a child and lose it during pregnancy, this requirement adds no value.”
To address this, she is introducing a bill to eliminate the minimum limit. The proposal also allows parents to choose whether to register their child with a first name, surname, or both, without granting the child legal personhood or related rights.
For unmarried couples, this change would also enable fathers to formally recognise their stillborn child.
