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 …
For women, where you live increasingly determines what rights you have at work. Paid family leave, salary transparency, union protections, and diversity initiatives are no longer governed by a single …
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 maternal care desert is a place where people who are pregnant or giving birth have a hard time getting maternity care. Sometimes there’s no hospital nearby that delivers …
Women’s right to vote in the United States is often described as a single milestone: the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. In reality, the history is more …
When people hear the phrase “abortion is healthcare,” it’s often assumed to be a political statement. In medicine, it isn’t. It’s a description of how pregnancy care …
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 …
In June of this year, Texas passed SB 1362, which bans state and local officials from recognizing, serving, or enforcing ERPOs (Extreme Risk Protective Orders), including those issued by other …
On May 19, 2021, Governor Abbott signed SB 8, also known as the Heartbeat Act, prohibiting doctors from performing abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around 6 weeks. …
Texas public universities spent 2024 dismantling DEI offices to comply with SB 17, which has meant program closures and layoffs at places like UT Austin. Students and staff describe losing …
Entrenched Restriction Women's rights in Texas are shaped by restrictions that are deeply embedded in state law and difficult to change. Existing policies limit protections across multiple issue areas, creating a framework that leaves relatively little room for expansion. While legal and political challenges continue, major change tends to be gradual rather than sudden.
