“Chega will neither support nor allow what the government wants to do regarding gestational mourning,” stated André Ventura during the presentation of the party’s candidacy for the Lisbon City Council, held at the Carlos Lopes Pavilion in the city center.
For the Chega party, the PSD/CDS-PP government, led by Luís Montenegro, should withdraw this initiative since “it will not have the approval of parliament and will certainly not have the approval of Chega.”
According to André Ventura, withdrawing this proposal by the government is the best course of action to ensure “there is no disruption in the legislative session that is about to begin or during the legislature.”
The proposal in question, part of the government’s draft labor reform announced on Thursday, seeks to revoke the current three-day gestational mourning leave without loss of rights, integrating it into the existing leave for pregnancy interruption and family assistance.
“The government now wants to eliminate this regulation, referring instead to the Labor Code and general labor leave legislation. It’s not the same thing. Labor leaves and those currently in the Labor Code require a medical condition, medical analysis, and medical justification,” André Ventura pointed out.
For Chega, the three-day gestational mourning leave is “not excessive” for parents who have just lost their children.
“If the government was counting on Chega’s support, it will not have it. Chega will not allow this to be imposed on parents, especially without any justification. If they really want to combat fraud, they should focus on the fraudulent psychiatric leaves that have been happening in Portugal for years, allowing many people to retire in their 40s or 50s and receive benefits until retirement age,” he said.
André Ventura emphasized the need to combat fraud and corruption in all areas, including health, but stressed that “it should not be at the expense of the parents’ suffering, in matters that have minimal economic impact and are nothing more than violence against these parents and mothers.”
When asked whether Chega will impose names for the Constitutional Court and if discussions with the government on this have taken place, André Ventura said the positions are “not very relevant” for his party, explaining it as a matter of ideological stance and “not allowing institutions in Portugal, whether it’s the Constitutional Court or others, to always lean to the left when there is a clear right-wing majority in parliament.”
