MADISON, WI –Every year from March 22 to March 28, the global community recognizes the contributions of doulas through the observance of World Doula Week. On the final day of World Doula Week 2025, Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) released the following statement:
“It is my pleasure to join advocates and activists around the world in celebrating World Doula Week. Doulas provide an invaluable resource to new and expectant parents by aiding the physiological, social, and emotional health of families through the process of birth and the postpartum period. Having the support of a doula can improve a mother’s overall wellbeing, shorten the duration of labor, reduce the need for interventions such as epidurals, and result in enhanced comfort, satisfaction, and confidence for parents during the birth of their child.
When developing the 2021 Birth Equity Act, a package of bills that I authored to address pervasive racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes, I worked extensively alongside doulas to determine which policy measures would be most successful. The knowledge of these experienced professional birth workers was critical to writing the Birth Equity Act, and I am grateful to my doula partners for sharing their wisdom and expertise.
Doulas are instrumental in promoting healthy births, healthy moms, and healthy babies—they deserve our applause and support. I invite the rest of Wisconsin to join me in celebrating our doulas and all they do for our communities as World Doula Week draws to a close.”
