Baby Loss Awareness Week

Katrina Murray Excerpts

Monday 12th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Katrina Murray (Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch) (Lab)]

I want to begin by telling the House about Rita Grace Ghazala, the daughter of my constituents Fadi and Liz. I consider myself very privileged that Fadi and Liz have asked me to share Rita’s story today. Not only have they shared her story with me, but they have allowed me to share her story with the House.

During pregnancy, Fadi and Liz learned that Rita had Edwards’ syndrome, a life-limiting condition. They knew that the time they might have with their daughter could be desperately short. Rita was born in December 2024 and spent nine days with her mum and dad at the Royal hospital for children in Glasgow. Fadi and Liz describe those nine days quite simply as

“the best nine days of our lives”.

Nine days is a heartbreakingly short life, but Rita’s life was filled with love and has left an extraordinary legacy.

In the months since Rita’s death, Fadi and Liz have channelled their grief into making things better for other babies with expected short lives and their families. Through Rita’s Legacy of Hope, thousands of people have supported their fundraising. They have funded Rita’s Room at Crossbasket House, providing a dedicated space for bereaved families so that no other family has to go through counselling sessions in an office. The funding has also provided two portable incubators, allowing parents to keep their babies close and make the most of their precious time together, and a cuddle cot and blanket system for Scotland’s tertiary paediatric palliative care service.

It is an extraordinary legacy for one little girl. Through that work, Fadi and Liz also identified something that they believe needs to change. Fadi and Liz knew long before Rita was born that she had a life-limiting condition, so that pregnancy was full of hospital appointments, treatment, worry and uncertainty—for months. They have been clear to me that they were fortunate, as they were financially able to take time away from work, and had employers who would support them, but they know that many families receiving the same devastating news will not be in that position. No parent who learns that their time with their child could be measured in hours or days should have to worry about whether they can afford to take time away from work.

Fadi and Liz believe that families whose baby has been diagnosed with a life-limiting condition should have a statutory right to paid leave during pregnancy. They call that proposal Rita’s law. The Government have already taken important steps to strengthen the rights of parents, including through the Employment Rights Act 2025, and I particularly welcome the review that is under way of the parental leave and pay system, but Fadi and Liz’s experience highlights a gap. The support available following the birth or death of a baby does not address the particular circumstances of parents who are told during pregnancy that their baby is expected to have a very short life. I therefore ask the Secretary of State to work with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade to ensure that the needs of those families are explicitly considered in the parental leave and pay review, and to take a serious look at Fadi and Liz’s proposal for Rita’s law.

Rita’s life was heartbreakingly short, but it mattered enormously. Fadi and Liz have ensured that Rita’s name will be associated with compassion, dignity and giving families precious time together. I hope that by listening to their call for change, we can help that legacy reach even further.