In the wake of the devastating California wildfires, we extend our deepest sympathy to all who have been impacted. Many in the reproductive rights, health, and justice community in Los Angeles— including many of you reading this note, our colleagues, our supporters, and our partners — have experienced profound loss. Our thoughts are with the families and individuals navigating disruption and grief, and we are immensely grateful to the first responders and volunteers working tirelessly to protect our communities. 

The impact of these wildfires has been deeply felt by us at the Center and by many organizations in our network. Despite these challenges, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advancing our mission to drive long-term change and support our community.  

As we all begin the long journey of recovery, we encourage everyone to prioritize safety, adhere to health guidelines, and extend support to those in need during this difficult time. 

Since joining the team two months ago as our new Legal and Policy Director, Diana Kasdan, has been at the helm of our legal and policy initiatives, driving long-term innovation and collaboration. In this role, she works closely with academics, advocates, policymakers, and community members to reimagine and transform the landscape of reproductive health law and policy. 

Diana brings a wealth of experience to CRHLP from her previous role as Director of U.S. Judicial Strategy at the Center for Reproductive Rights. There, Diana conceived and led strategies to build stronger constitutional jurisprudence and legal rights for reproductive autonomy over the long-term, including development of original legal research, analysis and publications, amicus campaigns, and thematic convenings of scholars and legal advocacy partners. 

This week, Diana joined us for a get-to-know-you interview, where she shared her perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in reproductive health law and policy, as well as the passions that fuel her commitment to this vital work. 

Interviewee:  Diana Kasdan, Legal and Policy Director

Interviewer: Kelsey Padilla, Program & Communication Coordinator

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in reproductive rights advocacy?  

A:  I went to law school knowing I wanted a career in public interest and I was interested in the way constitutional rights have been developed and enforced through the courts. I was lucky to have terrific clinics and classes on immigrant rights, sex discrimination, and civil rights. But it was two summer internships that put me on the path to reproductive rights. My first summer I interned at the Women’s Law Project in Philadelphia and my second summer at the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. They were both amazing opportunities, where I learned from dedicated, brilliant — and fun! — advocates using creative strategies to make a difference in people’s lives. I jumped right in and never left.

Q: What excites you most about joining CRHLP as the new Legal and Policy Director? 

A: So many things! But if I had to pick one thing that inspired me to join CRHLP, it is the Center’s commitment to being here for the reproductive health, rights and justice movements for the long-term.  I’ve been doing this work for over twenty years. I know how hard and frustrating it can be to put scarce time, resources, and emotional energy into piece-by-piece building blocks and long-term strategies. Especially when every day is a new emergency. But I believe it is necessary. And I see CRHLP’s interdisciplinary approach — bridging research, scholarship, law and policy to help build solutions – as key to sustaining that vital work happening today and yet to come.

Q: Which reproductive health advocacy issues are closest to your heart, and why?

A:  That is a hard question for me — and one that I hesitate to answer. Early in my career, I became frustrated that alongside the fight against abortion restrictions, there was not enough awareness, support, or legal strategies for people suffering other violations of reproductive and bodily autonomy. I was involved in cases where pregnant women were subject to court-ordered bed rest, forced to deliver in shackles, and denied medication to treat substance abuse while in jail. While awareness and advocacy to stop these practices has grown tremendously, there are still few court decisions recognizing these as unconstitutional rights violations. That is why I am excited by growing efforts to reimagine the constitutional foundations that work across issues — to end bans on abortion and gender-affirming care, pregnancy policing and criminalization, maternal health disparities, and more.

Q: Outside of your work, what are some of your favorite ways to recharge or stay inspired?

A:  My go-tos are taking a run with a friend, reading a good fiction book (preferably one that I can’t put down), checking out a new musical or play – to briefly transport me out of the real world, and summer vacations in Cape Cod!

Illustration Credit: Laura Lutrell

The ACLU of Northern California, in collaboration with ACLU of Southern California, ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties has released Fighting for Reproductive Justice While Incarcerated. The report analyzes ongoing reproductive justice barriers in California’s prisons and jails. This report, an update to the ACLU’s 2016 report Reproductive Health Behind Bars in California, highlights critical gaps in care despite reforms to access to reproductive health care for incarcerated people. Issues highlighted include inconsistent enforcement of health laws, pervasive sexual violence, and policies separating families. Nearly 200,000 children in California have an incarcerated parent, under the influence of family policing systems that often leading to permanent loss of parental rights. The report highlights solutions including decarceration, improved reproductive health access, protections for transgender and nonbinary individuals, and investments in family unity during and after incarceration. 

Image Credit: E+ via Getty Images  

This week, the University of Pennsylvania released new research showing that racism in obstetric care is linked to higher postpartum blood pressure among mothers of color, with effects lasting up to three months after delivery. The study, which followed 373 mothers across New York City and Philadelphia, found that those who experienced racism or microaggressions during care had systolic blood pressures up to 7.55 points higher than their peers, especially in neighborhoods impacted by structural racism.

Photo credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images 

Legislation has been introduced in several states—including South Carolina, Oklahoma, Indiana, and North Dakota — that would expand the states’ laws criminalizing homicide to fetuses, embryos, and fertilized eggs.  If this legislation were enacted, pregnant people could be prosecuted for abortion at any gestational stage.  Access to other forms of reproductive health care, including IVF, would also be threatened, as we saw last year when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos were “unborn children” under state law, forcing fertility clinics in the state to suspend treatments.  

 Even if unlikely to pass, these state legislative efforts—which are not new and have been introduced in other states before—are part of a broader strategy to promote and normalize the radical position that a fertilized egg is a person entitled to equal protection under the law.  It is a view that inherently rejects the constitutional equality and autonomy of pregnant people. 

Photo credit: Sue Ogrocki/AP

Brittany Watts has filed a federal lawsuit against St. Joseph Warren Hospital, its parent company Bon Secours Mercy Health, and law enforcement officials in Warren, Ohio, alleging constitutional violations, medical negligence, and malicious prosecution. Denied critical care during a life-threatening pregnancy complication in 2023, Watts was forced to endure a traumatic miscarriage at home, later returning to the hospital only to be falsely accused of mishandling fetal remains. Nurses and law enforcement allegedly conspired to fabricate evidence, leading to her arrest and a felony charge of “abuse of a corpse.” Her case highlights systemic failures in medical and law enforcement responses to pregnancy-related care and underscores broader concerns about the criminalization of pregnancy, particularly for women of color. 

Photo credit: Ted S Warren/AP/Shutterstock

Idaho’s largest provider of obstetrical and emergency care has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to ensure it can continue to provide emergency abortion care despite Idaho’s near-total abortion ban, consistent with the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). The lawsuit argues that the state’s abortion restrictions conflict with EMTALA’s requirement for hospitals to provide stabilizing care in emergencies, including pregnancy terminations when medically necessary. The lawsuit highlights the harm caused by lapses in federal protections, including increased out-of-state transfers for patients with pregnancy complications, and seeks a permanent injunction to prevent enforcement of Idaho’s law in such cases. While the Idaho Attorney General denies any conflict between the state law and EMTALA, that position is the subject of ongoing litigation led by the outgoing federal administration and awaiting a decision from the federal court of appeals.  St. Luke’s argues that its own lawsuit is a vital effort to safeguard emergency medical care and patient safety should the incoming administration change its litigation position and abandon enforcement of EMTALA to protect pregnant patients in urgent need of abortion care.

With so much going on in the world of reproductive health, law, and policy, every week we'll share articles, books, and media you might have missed. 

Blocking Planned Parenthood From Medicaid Will Only Worsen the US Maternal Health Crisis 

If You’re Pregnant, Here’s What You Should Know About the Medical Procedures That Could Save Your Life 

Trump’s White House Return and the Republican Congress Put DC Abortion Access at Risk 

Missouri senator renews push to ban shackling of pregnant people in city and county jails 

Reimagining the future of reproductive health, law, and policy.

UCLA Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy is a think tank and research center created to develop long-term, lasting solutions that advance all aspects of reproductive justice, and address the current national crisis of abortion access.