Birth Equity Resources

Below are recent articles and reports to help inform a persons understanding of the birth equity landscape in Massachusetts.

DEMOGRAPHICS AND POPULATION TRENDS:

• The State of Massachusetts’s Babies (ZERO TO THREE, 2026) 

• Boston By the Numbers 2025 (City of Boston, 2025)

• Early Childhood Poverty: A Lasting Impact on Babies’ Health and Development (ZERO TO THREE, 2026)

• Maternal Morbidity and Mortality (Boston Indicators, 2024)

• Health of Boston: The Maternal and Infant Health Report (Boston Public Health Commission, 2023)

DIRECT SERVICES:

• Freestanding Birth Centers: An Evidence-Based Option for Birth (Alliman, J. et al, The Journal of Perinatal Education, 2022) 

• National League of Cities Highlights Boston (City of Boston, 2025)

• HealthySteps: The Evidence Base (ZERO TO THREE)

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SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE:

• 2026 Opportunity Boston Cradle to Career Outcomes Report (Boston Opportunity Agenda, 2026)

• Integrating Social Emotional Wellness in Primary Care for Children Birth to Five in Massachusetts  (MA Department of Public Health, 2026)

• PFML Fact Sheet (MA Department of Public Health, 2026)

• Improving Social Support for Equitable Maternal Health (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Women and Health Initiative, and Ariadne Labs, 2022)

• Investing in Our Future: Critical Ways Philanthropy Can Help Every Young Child and Family Thrive (Bridgespan, 2026)

• Improving Social Support for Equitable Maternal Health (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Women and Health Initiative, and Ariadne Labs, 2022)

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POLICY ADVOCACY AT THE LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL LEVELS:

• Massachusetts’ only birth center is struggling to survive (Boston Globe, 2026)

• One year after maternal health omnibus, supporters eye implementation, follow-up (Bay State Banner, 2025)

• Maternal health bill passed on Beacon Hill could change the game ‘for generations’ (WGBH, 2024)

• Embracing midwifery could change the state of maternal healthcare in Massachusetts (WBUR, 2024)

• Inside the Fight to Bring Midwives Back to Massachusetts (The Nation, 2024)

• Massachusetts Must Address Our Maternal Health Crisis (The Commonwealth Beacon, 2024)

• What's at Stake: Latest Updates on the Baby Agenda (ZERO TO THREE, 2026)