Wisconsin is ranked as one of the worst states in the nation for maternal and health outcomes and the worst for racial disparities in infant mortality. Rooted in longstanding institutional and systemic inequities, pervasive disparities have enabled our healthcare systems to repeatedly fail communities with the least access to appropriate and affordable prenatal and postpartum care, treatment, and resources, especially Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). For generations, BIPOC have been forced to shoulder racism in healthcare, particularly as it relates to pregnancy and childbirth, leading to the persistent inequities in maternal and child health we continue to see today.

To achieve maternal and child health equity in Wisconsin, we must meaningfully address these significant disparities and work toward dismantling the societal causes that underlie them. The livelihoods, experiences, and pain of pregnant BIPOC, new mothers, and infants have been left unaddressed for far too long. The Wisconsin Birth Equity Act is not only essential for beginning to disrupt these disparities in maternal and child health, it is mandatory. Here in Wisconsin, it is past time for equity in mothering and birthing