The politician lost his son: I will never be the same

A cold januardag in 2009 changed the lives forever for the then heavily pregnant Hanne Bjørn-Klausen (K) and her husband, Flemming.

Their unborn son, Valdemar, was dead.

- He died in my stomach, the week before he was to be taken by caesarean section. I had pre-eclampsia. The doctors said all the time ’don't worry, the baby has the mother has it bad’, but one day there was not a sound, " says Hanne Bjørn-Klausen.

on Wednesday entered into a united parliament an agreement that ensures that all parents who lose a child under the age of 18 years are entitled to six months of grief-leave. And it is in this context that Hanne Bjørn-Klausen tells his story to Ekstra Bladet.

As it is now, it is only possible for parents to get grief-leave, if the child is dead at birth or dies within the first seven months of life.

- This means that parents who lose their child, when they are one, five or 15 years, do not have the right to leave. Therefore, you should already after a month have one from the job centre in the tube and to tell, whether you can work or not. It is the grotesque, says Hanne Bjørn-Klausen, who is a deputy in Parliament for the fellow party member Rasmus Jarlov.

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the Agreement among the Parliamentary party is done at the request of the 67.051 danes, who has written a borgerforslag. Photo: Aleksander Klug

I am quite anger, when I think that we treat people like that. Imagine having a job where you must call and ask the grieving parents, of the soon as the is ready to get to work, she says.

As the conservative politician and her husband lost Valdemar, tackled the grief completely differently.

flemming's work stressed that he should take the time he needed, but after two weeks would Flemming would like to work again. It helped him to enter to his colleagues, who knew the couple really well, says Hanne Bjørn-Knudsen.

Although she was not at all clear.

- When the 14 weeks (with benefits red.) was over, I thought that perhaps it was fine to return to everyday life. But it was really, really hard to be at work again. I feel that people think it was strange, and that they don't really know how to handle it. I even had a boss who said that I was always so sad and angry.

- Before I was talkative, outgoing and exuberant, but of course I was another. My son was dead, says Hanne Bjørn-Knudsen today.

And just the couple's own experience to ensure is something she now takes with into his political career.

- We mourn differently. There is a difference in whether or not we need 14 days or half a year, and it should be allowed for. If I had gotten to know that I was back at work after a month, I had enough said ’okay, how is it’, but I had not worked. I may well fear, that I had a depression, she says.

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Grief-leave as borgerforslag

on Wednesday entered into a united parliament an agreement that ensures the six-month sorgorlov to parents who lose a child under the age of 18 years.

- the Proposal has been made as borgerforslag, as 67.051 danes has signed on.

- Parents so far have only had the right to 14 weeks of sorgorlov with maternity pay.

It was, however, only if the child was dead at birth, or if the child died within the first seven months after birth.

11 months after valdemar's death the couple were the parents of Magnus. He came into the world 26. december and brought light into the family again. The page is also the little sister Mathilde to come to.

- They have always known, that they have a big brother in the sky. And if Flemming and I can find to say that we are four in our family, they say, ’no, we are five’. They have a big brother, and he called Valdemar. We still go to the cemetery on his birthday and on christmas eve, says Hanne Bjørn-Knudsen and smiles.