Wisconsin should stop collecting birth costs from men who father children with unmarried women on Medicaid because some women, fearing harm from the men, avoid prenatal care, a new report says.

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The longstanding practice could contribute to the state’s high black infant mortality rate, said Bobby Peterson, executive director of ABC for Health. “This puts an enormous amount of pressure on mostly young, single women; many are minorities,” Peterson said. “We should be promoting healthy births and healthy babies.”

Pregnant women applying for Medicaid must identify the father or risk losing state health coverage after the baby is born, the report says. The state requires a man who fathers a child with an unmarried woman on Medicaid to pay some of the costs for pregnancy care and birth.

An exemption for women who fear physical or emotional harm “is poorly understood and rarely used,” the report says. Having to identify the father “may discourage unmarried pregnant mothers from getting timely prenatal care services.”