October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and a new law hopes to bring a small piece of comfort to those who have lost a child. According to the CDC, 1 in 175 births in the United States is stillborn, which is defined as the loss of a baby beginning at 20 weeks of pregnancy through delivery.
Prior to the signing of the Stillbirth Recognition and Support Act, or Wisconsin Act 241, earlier this year, the grief of losing a child could be compounded by medical, funeral, counseling and other related expenses. The law creates a $2,000 refundable individual state income tax credit for parents to help provide support.
For Green Bay resident Maggie Koch, she is grateful the bill became law six years after she experienced a stillbirth and never got to see her daughter, Olivia, grow up.
“I am incredibly grateful to the group of loss moms whose grassroots efforts partnered with legislative support to make this happen!”
It is an issue state Sen. Andre Jacque became aware of when he first joined the Wisconsin Legislature and attended his first Joint Finance Committee meeting. During his final term, Jacque became a co-sponsor of the legislation, which he says will never remove the pain of losing a child but at least acknowledges that loss by providing support for affected families. He says it means a lot to him that he was able to help get the bill across the finish line before he departs his seat at the end of the year.
If your child was stillborn in 2026, you will be able to access this resource when filing your taxes early next year.
