News & Commentary

Earlier this week, we learned that a 17-year-old immigrant in government custody was being blocked by the Trump administration from obtaining an abortion. This isn't the first time.

"Once the state furnishes medical care to poor women in general, it cannot withdraw part of that care solely because a woman exercises her constitutional right to have an abortion.”

Abstinence-only sex education has been illegal in California for years. But some schools are still failing to teach sex ed, or are teaching a version of sex ed that spreads misinformation and is based in fear and stigma.

With a new school year comes new experiences, new choices, and new opportunities. One is the opportunity to make sure you and your friends have the information you need to help navigate the different decisions that may come up in your life. Some of the most important decisions you may face are around your reproductive and sexual health, and if you’re a young person in California, you have the rights and resources to get the health care you need.

When she was 17 years old, Rosa* fled her home country and came to the U.S. seeking a better life. As she made her way across the border, she was raped. After she arrived in the U.S. alone, she was taken into federal custody and then placed with a Catholic organization that receives taxpayer money to provide services to young women like Rosa.

Over the summer, new mom Jessica Campbell registered for her daylong veterinary licensing exam at a Prometric testing facility. She found out that during the seven-and-a-half-hour test, she would only be given 45 minutes of break time. Normally, this time can be distributed throughout the day for lunch, restroom breaks, and studying. But as a breastfeeding mom, Jessica would have to set aside a large chunk of it to pump breast milk. Even with medical grade equipment, the process can take 30 minutes, leaving breastfeeding test takers with only 15 minutes for all of the other necessary break activities.

I'm heartbroken and in awe. Woman after woman has come forward to tell us her story of being denied critical reproductive health care at a Catholic hospital.

School is back in session, and by now, many students and teachers have returned to their classrooms to new and improved lactation accommodations policies.

It's back to school season again. Here's how to make sure your school's sexual health education is up to date and follows California law.