The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among industrialized nations, with Black mothers being the most affected. With the Mamas First Act, Rep. Gwen Moore is working to expand Medicaid coverage to include perinatal workers, like doulas and midwives, to advocate for marginalized mothers.
Author: Rep. Gwen Moore
U.S. Representative Gwen Moore was elected to represent Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District in 2004, making her the first African American elected to Congress from the state of Wisconsin. She serves on the Ways and Means Committee; Science, Space, and Technology Committee; and the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth. She is also a member of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus and the Democratic Women's Caucus.
She was born in Racine, Wisconsin and raised in Milwaukee. She graduated from Marquette University. She started a community credit union as a VISTA volunteer and was honored as national “VISTA Volunteer of the Decade” from 1976-1986.
Before being elected to Congress in 2004, she served in both the Wisconsin State Senate (1993-2004) and the Wisconsin State Assembly (1989-92). In 2000, Congresswoman Moore earned a Harvard University Certificate for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.
She has been honored by several local, state and national organizations for her work as a legislator.
Rep. Gwen Moore Weighs in on Birth Control Victory
Since the 1960s, when the birth control pill was approved by the FDA, a woman’s ability to access it has been uncertain and unstable. At one point, unmarried women couldn’t […]