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 …
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 …
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, …
Last updated: September 8, 2026
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 November 2022, California voters approved Proposition 1, amending the state constitution to explicitly guarantee reproductive freedom, including abortion and contraception. The amendment added language to Article I, making clear …
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.
