Birth control remains legal across the United States. But new data show that for millions of women, getting it may depend heavily on where they live.
New county-level maps …
The recent declaration of a mistrial in the case of Lindsay Clancy, the former labor-and-delivery nurse who strangled her three young children in 2023, has pushed postpartum mental …
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
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.
On February 18, 2026, Kansas enacted Senate Bill 244, a law defining sex in state law based on biological characteristics at birth and requiring state agencies to apply that definition …
Ohio has enacted a new law revising several aspects of the state’s election procedures, including voter registration verification, identification requirements, and absentee ballot timelines.
The legislation, Senate Bill 293, …
Several states are advancing new policies that expand how abortion restrictions are enforced, including proposals that introduce criminal penalties, broaden legal definitions of fetal personhood, or create new legal mechanisms …
A California law requiring certain health insurance plans to cover infertility treatment, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), took effect on January 1, 2026. It expands existing state requirements and applies …
Project 2025 is a long-term policy blueprint created by a group of conservative organizations and led by the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. Released ahead of the …
A maternal care desert is a place where people who are pregnant or giving birth have a hard time getting maternity care. Sometimes there’s no hospital nearby that delivers …
Federal laws play a powerful role in shaping women’s rights in the United States. Even when enforcement and impact vary from place to place, these laws establish national standards …
The word “protected” sounds definitive.
In everyday language, it suggests something settled—a right that’s been secured and placed out of reach of change. In law, the meaning is …
Women’s right to vote in the United States is often described as a single milestone: the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. In reality, the history is more …
When people hear the phrase “abortion is healthcare,” it’s often assumed to be a political statement. In medicine, it isn’t. It’s a description of how pregnancy care …
New York’s voting system has been repeatedly reshaped by court rulings rather than voter-driven or legislative consensus. In recent years, judges have struck down and redrawn congressional and …
Update: March 31, 2026
The SAVE Act has passed the House and is still being considered in the Senate, but what happens next is unclear. After being brought up for …
