Current Status - Summary

As of January 2025, California has some of the strongest legal protections for women’s rights in the country, reinforced by constitutional guarantees, robust statutes, and active enforcement. California appears to be one of the strongest states for women’s rights overall. Laws in place today suggest broad protections across reproductive health, workplace equity, education, safety, and voting access. While federal actions and interstate legal conflicts could still pose risks, the state’s legal and political infrastructure makes large-scale rollbacks difficult.

Top 5 Things to Know

• California’s abortion shield laws are being actively tested.
  In late 2025, Louisiana sought to extradite a California doctor for providing abortion medication to an out-of-state patient—an effort California officials rejected, setting up a direct conflict over interstate enforcement of abortion laws.
• California continues to serve as a major abortion access hub.
  Patients continue to travel to California from restrictive states, increasing demand on clinics even as the state maintains strong legal protections.
• Healthcare access depends increasingly on funding, not legality.
  Despite strong laws, budget pressures and clinic capacity constraints are shaping what care is actually available on the ground.
• Workplace protections remain strong but unevenly felt.
  Paid leave and pay transparency laws are robust, but access still varies by job type, employer, and income level.
• Voting access remains among the most expansive in the country.
  Mail-in voting, same-day registration, and automatic registration continue to support high participation.

Women’s Health

California continues to stand out nationally for its reproductive rights protections and broader health access for women. However, recent clinic closures and a growing budget deficit show that strong laws don’t always guarantee stable on-the-ground access.

Reproductive Care

• State constitution protects abortion and contraception (2022 voter-approved amendment).
• Telehealth and mail-order medication access are fully protected, while “shield laws” safeguard doctors serving out-of-state patients. These shield laws moved from theory to practice in late 2025, when California rejected an out-of-state request by Louisiana to prosecute a California provider.
• Pharmacists can now dispense birth control directly, and the state is exploring over-the-counter access options to make contraception easier to get.

Healthcare Access

• Medi-Cal now covers nearly all low-income adults, including undocumented residents ages 26–49.
• Expanded postpartum and mental-health benefits remain among the most robust nationally.
• A 2024 law (AB 2270) encourages provider training in menopause and mental health, including maternal mental health.
• Budget pressures and rising demand—especially from out-of-state patients—are straining clinic capacity in some regions.

Workplace Rights

California maintains some of the strongest workplace protections in the country.

• Pay-scale transparency laws require employers to report pay data more fully.
• Paid Family Leave enhancements allow lower-income workers to receive up to 90% wage replacement, with many others receiving about 70%.
• California continues to lead nationally on paid leave, wage transparency, and anti-discrimination protections.

Violence & Safety

California’s legal framework for addressing domestic violence and gun safety is robust, though implementation varies by county, local enforcement resources, and available survivor services.

• Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) allow family, community members, and law enforcement to request temporary firearm removal.
• Strong protections also include domestic-violence firearm bans and civil protective orders.

Voting & Civic Participation

California maintains one of the most accessible voting systems in the country.

• All registered voters receive a mail ballot automatically.
• Same-day registration and automatic voter registration via the DMV increase voter participation.
• Pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds helps expand the electorate and civic engagement.

Education

California goes beyond federal Title IX requirements with state-level laws that strengthen protections and reduce barriers for students.

• SB 493 requires colleges to meet higher standards for responding to campus harassment and violence.
• K–12 protections include privacy rules for LGBTQ+ students and free menstrual products beginning in elementary schools.

Related WRDI Reporting

California encourages provider training on menopause and mental health (Oct 25)
California’s Medi-Cal program faces state and federal budget pressures (Oct 25)
CA shield law protects doctors (Sep 25)
California expands family leave (Sep 25)
CA laws strengthen equity in public education (Sep 25)
Mail-in voting guaranteed in California (Jul 25)
Prop 1 - California protects reproductive freedom (Jul 26)