Last updated: August 8, 2026
Women’s rights in the United States continue to be shaped by a combination of federal policy changes, court decisions, and sharply different approaches among …
With a wink to the 1980s sitcom featuring four unrelated women sharing a Miami house, a handful of states have passed "Golden Girls" laws. These state laws, in …
Wisconsin voters will choose their parties' nominees for governor in the August 11 primary. While comprehensive voter guides cover the full range of issues facing the state, this WRDI …
Last updated: July 8, 2026
California continues to expand and reinforce protections for women’s rights. The state remains one of the most active in the country in advancing policies …
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 …
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 …
Last updated: July 8, 2026
California continues to expand and reinforce protections for women’s rights. The state remains one of the most active in the country in advancing policies …
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 …
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, …
In 2021, California guaranteed mail-in voting for registered voters under AB 37, which permanently required election officials to mail ballots to every active voter. In 2025, the Ninth Circuit …
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.
