Petition Teach miscarriage in schools

Sex education in British schools should cover not only the acts of intercourse, conception, gestation and birth - but also miscarriage and child loss.

1 in 5 pregnancies - about 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies - end in miscarriage, and more than 80 percent of these losses happen before 12 weeks.

By not teaching our girls, and boys, the risks, possibilities and realities of pregnancy we are setting them up for a much harder emotional journey should they experience a loss themselves. By teaching a sugar coated view of pregnancy many women and couples may decide to put off childbirth and find in later life that it is a much harder act than had initially been expected.

We have a duty to reach our young people the facts of life - be they miraculous or devastating - and the ignorance and stigma of such a common issue when discussing human reproduction should not be allowed to continue.