North Carolina - What to watch in 2026
As of October, North Carolina is a state where recent shifts in political control have directly shaped women's rights policy. Because many protections are established through state law …
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WI Medicaid: A push for expanded postpartum care
In Wisconsin, new mothers covered by Medicaid (BadgerCare) lose their full coverage just 60 days after giving birth — one of the shortest periods in the country. A bipartisan bill (SB …
How federal Medicaid cuts threaten women’s healthcare
Last updated: April 2026 The 2025 One Big Beautiful Big Act (H.R.1) introduced sweeping changes to the Medicaid program—stricter eligibility and verification rules, increased administrative burdens, and …
Black Women: A job crisis hidden in plain sight
In April 2025, Black women lost 106,000 jobs, the largest decline of any demographic group, pushing their unemployment rate from 5.1% to 6.1% in one month. Over …
New military rules will make it harder to report harassment and assault
At a closed-door meeting of senior military leaders in Quantico on September 30, 2025, Secretary of War Hegseth announced sweeping reforms to how the armed forces handle discipline, harassment, …
CA shield law protects doctors
California passed a law in September 2025 allowing doctors to prescribe and mail abortion pills anonymously, shielding providers from out-of-state legal targeting. The law expands on earlier “shield …
CA laws strengthen equity in public education
Two California laws are helping to protect student privacy and increase access to menstrual products in public schools. AB 1955, enacted in 2024, prohibits “forced outing” policies that require schools …
Texas mail-in voting rules will remain strict
Last updated: September 8, 2026 In August 2025, a federal appeals court upheld Texas's ID-number requirement for mail ballots, reversing a lower-court ruling that had found …
California expands family leave
In January 2025, California expanded Paid Family Leave (PML) and disability benefits through SB 951, making it more affordable for workers to take time off for pregnancy, childbirth, illness recovery, …
TX extends bounty hunter model to abortion pills
HB 7 authorizes private citizens to sue those who manufacture, distribute, mail, deliver, prescribe, or otherwise provide abortion-inducing drugs to or from Texas. The law exempts pregnant patients from …
Virginia is becoming a regional access point for abortion care
As more Southern states restrict or ban abortion, Virginia is emerging as a key access provider in the Mid-Atlantic and broader South regions. Recent reporting shows that abortions performed …
Texas passes major rural health bill
Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 18 in June 2025, a sweeping rural health law designed to keep small hospitals open and expand access to care in underserved parts of the …
Postpartum Medicaid coverage expanded in Texas
In 2024, Texas expanded postpartum Medicaid and CHIP coverage from 2 months to 12. The bipartisan bill (HB 12) aims to improve maternal health by allowing new mothers to continue …