Madison Reporter

Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) and Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee) have recently introduced the Birth Equity Act, a collection of six bills focused on addressing reducing racial birth disparities, according to a press release. 

Stubbs introduced the bill on Oct. 12, which aims to "disrupt inequities in maternal and child health by supporting black, Brown and Indigenous mothers and infants."

"Today, I was proud to introduce the #BirthEquityAct," Stubbs stated on Twitter. "These actionable policies are a meaningful step forward for Wisconsin. By taking this step forward, we are not only dismantling systems of oppression but building systems of equity.”  

The legislation aims to improve pregnant women's access to medical care by requiring maternal mental health insurance coverage, expanding dental coverage for pregnant women, eliminating the sales tax on breast pumps and other equipment, and repealing the birth cost recovery statute, according to a report by WISPolitics.

Wisconsin currently leads the nation in racial birth inequities, with black infants three times as likely to die as white babies, according to the state Department of Health Services.

Currently, one-third of black baby deaths in the state occur prior to birth; one-third occur as a result of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS and one-third occur due to "other causes," according to a Wisconsin Public Radio report.