MADISON, Wis. — As we close out Black Maternal Health Week 2025 (April 11 – April 17), A Better Wisconsin Together is calling on lawmakers to address the stark racial disparities in healthcare access for mothers and babies in Wisconsin by passing a state budget that would make Wisconsin a safer place for Black women, mothers, and children.
In Wisconsin, the maternal and infant mortality rates are several times higher for Black women and babies than for white women and babies, yet Republican state lawmakers blocked funds for a Maternal and Infant Mortality Prevention Program proposed by Governor Evers in 2023.
Wisconsin also severely lags behind other states in expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage for new parents, but some GOP state legislators like Robin Vos are intentionally blocking passage of a bill that would expand this lifesaving coverage for Wisconsin mothers.
Governor Evers has once again proposed funding for expanding maternal health and postpartum Medicaid coverage in his 2025-2027 state budget proposal, giving the Republican-controlled legislature another opportunity to finally do the right thing.
“Black Maternal Health Week is a critical moment to center the experiences and needs of Black women and mothers in the larger conversation on maternal health,” said Lucy Ripp, communications director at A Better Wisconsin Together. “With a new legislative session underway and upcoming state budget negotiations, Wisconsin lawmakers must address the systemic inequities that contribute to negative maternal health outcomes for Black women in our state.”
