As of November, Virginia voters have approved three constitutional amendments protecting reproductive freedom, marriage equality, and voting rights. The November 3 results mark a significant change in Virginia's …
As of November, Wisconsin's political landscape has shifted following the 2026 elections. Democrat David Crowley won the governor's race, and Democrats gained control of both legislative …
As of November, Wisconsin's 2026 election has significantly changed the state's political landscape, creating new possibilities for legislation affecting women's rights. Abortion remains legal …
Julie Slovin is the founder of the Women’s Rights Data Initiative, a fact-based initiative tracking how laws and policies shape women’s rights across the United States.
Anvi Batra studies political science at George Washington University. Her experience includes legal research, political campaigns, and reporting, with interests in reproductive rights and domestic violence. She is a policy research intern for WRDI.
Aparna Parthasarathy
Aparna Parthasarathy studies political science and human rights at Barnard College. Her experience includes legal research and advocacy for survivors of violence, with interests in women’s health and maternal care. She is a reporting intern for WRDI.
Imani Wright is a UNC-Chapel Hill student studying sociology, media, and journalism, with a minor in women and gender studies. Her research examines race and gender in political campaigns. She is a reporting intern for WRDI.
Olivia Sanchez Dunn
Olivia Sanchez Dunn is a UNC-Chapel Hill graduate in public policy and data science. She analyzed policy for NC Governor Stein and now studies digital governance as an Austrian Combined Fulbright Scholar. She is a policy research intern for WRDI.
Prasidha Padmanabhan
Prasidha Padmanabhan is a Yale public health graduate student and UNC-Chapel Hill graduate in public policy and data science. Her experience spans reproductive rights, health policy, and legislative research. She is a policy research intern for WRDI.
Pritika Patel
Pritika Patel is a Georgetown University student and editor for The Hoya and Georgetown’s Undergraduate Law Review. Her editorial and legal interests include education policy, Title IX, and family law. She is a reporting intern for WRDI.
Siya Lakireddy
Siya Lakireddy studies public policy and health at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her experience includes legislative work and research on Medicaid and Medicare access, with interests in women’s and maternal health. She is a policy research intern for WRDI.
Virginia ranks among the stronger states nationally on gun safety, with laws designed to restrict firearm access during high-risk situations and protect people from gun-related harm. But recent …
Civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit in November 2025 alleging that Virginia’s voter-registration practices unlawfully block college students who live on campus from registering to vote. The …
Oregon law continues to protect abortion access. As a result, the state has become a regional destination for care as restrictions tighten in surrounding states. Earlier this year, federal budget …
In early 2025, Virginia lawmakers approved the first step of a reproductive freedom constitutional amendment (SJ 247) designed to protect abortion, contraception, miscarriage care, and IVF. To become law, the …
Governor Youngkin’s October 2025 directive instructs Virginia state officials to create new rules restricting transgender students’ access to girls’ sports and school facilities. Many school divisions had already rejected …
Editor’s note: This post was updated on Nov. 12, 2025, to reflect new developments in SNAP program payments.
November 1, 2025 - As the government shutdown stretches on, federal nutrition …
Texas’ Medicaid program covers millions of low-income children, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities. But the state remains one of ten that have not expanded Medicaid to cover …
Wisconsin lawmakers took two meaningful steps in 2025 to make healthcare more accessible for women.
The first measure would let pharmacists prescribe birth control pills and patches directly to adults …
On September 27, 2024, California passed Assembly Bill 2270, a new law that tells several state licensing boards — including those that oversee doctors, nurses, therapists, and psychologists — to consider adding …
A key part of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) — Section 2 — is now in jeopardy. After a federal appeals court ruled that regular citizens and civil-rights groups can no …
California’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, covers roughly one in three Californians — more than 15 million people. It’s one of the most generous Medicaid programs in the …
Wisconsin currently has no “red-flag” law, meaning there’s no way to temporarily remove guns from a person showing clear signs of violence or self-harm unless they’ve …
