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 …
As of September, California continues to expand and reinforce an already broad framework of protections for women’s rights.
In the final weeks of the legislative session, lawmakers approved measures …
The fight over mail-in voting has become a national story ahead of the November midterms. But what potential federal changes could actually mean for voters depends heavily on where …
If you've assumed birth control is simply “free” because of the Affordable Care Act, you're only partly right. Since 2012, the federal law has required most …
The 2025 federal spending bill (OBBBA Act) blocked Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood and some other large reproductive health providers for one year, triggering lawsuits and emergency funding responses from …
For decades, menopause was treated as a private inconvenience, as something women managed quietly, insurers ignored, with little expectation of medical help or workplace acknowledgment. That is finally changing, and …
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 …
The fight over mail-in voting has become a national story ahead of the November midterms. But what potential federal changes could actually mean for voters depends heavily on where …
As of September, California continues to expand and reinforce an already broad framework of protections for women’s rights.
In the final weeks of the legislative session, lawmakers approved measures …
If you've assumed birth control is simply “free” because of the Affordable Care Act, you're only partly right. Since 2012, the federal law has required most …
For decades, menopause was treated as a private inconvenience, as something women managed quietly, insurers ignored, with little expectation of medical help or workplace acknowledgment. That is finally changing, and …
The 2025 federal spending bill (OBBBA Act) blocked Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood and some other large reproductive health providers for one year, triggering lawsuits and emergency funding responses from …
Redistricting usually happens once every 10 years after the census. But following the Supreme Court’s April ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, multiple states are now revisiting congressional and legislative …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Evolving Protection Women's rights in California continue to expand through legislation, court decisions, and statewide policy initiatives. Strong legal and governing frameworks provide broad protections across multiple issue areas, creating one of the country's most protective environments for women. While many protections are well established, policymakers continue to refine, strengthen, and expand them over time.
