The parents of travel agent Chloe Rutherford and her boyfriend Liam Curry, who died in the 2017 Manchester Arena terror attack, have launched a petition to call for a change in the law.
Lisa Rutherford, mother of Chloe, who worked at Westoe Travel in South Shields, and Liam’s mum Caroline Curry want to be able to register their children’s deaths themselves.
But, under the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953, when a death has been subject to an inquest, the information for the registration can only be provided by the coroner.
The mums say that being able to register their children’s deaths is an important part of the grieving process and that the current law takes away that right.
Lisa and Caroline, along with three other mums whose children were killed in the attack, have launched a petition urging the Government to change the law so that parents in the future are able to register the death of their child, regardless of the circumstances.
The petition says: “It is so hard to grieve when we cannot even write their names, address and dates of birth on their death certificates. This deeply personal task will be done by the state – we would like the choice to do it ourselves.”
The petition has the backing of local South Shields MP Emma Lewell-Buck.
Chloe was an apprentice at Westoe Travel and had been due to start as a full-time travel agent in June 2017, the month after the terror attack in which 22 people died.
The families set up a charity in memory of 17-year-old Chloe and Liam, 19, called the Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust.
See also: South Shields remembers travel agent Chloe and boyfriend Liam