The Project & People
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Help Us Raise Awareness During Young Women's Reproductive Health Awareness Month (September 2026)
This site is a product of the Reproductive Health & Misinformation Project (RHOMP) and the RHOMP team. This group is affiliated with the American Association for University Women (AAUW) of California.
Read on to learn more about the history of this project, the research team, our accomplishments thus far, our current focus, and our future goals.
The Project
The Original (OG):The project was originally brought into being as the HER Health Initiative in 2024 by an amazing group of high school students in Orinda, CA.
The Resolution Expansion: In 2025, working in partnership with the Orinda-Moraga-Lafayette (OML) Branch of AAUW California, the HER students developed a resolution to establish September 2026 as Young Women’s Reproductive Health Awareness Month. In early 2026, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer Kahan (CA Assembly District 16) agreed to author the resolution.
A RHOMP is Born: As the resolution was being penned by the Assemblymember in early 2026, the students met with AAUW California’s Public Policy Committee to explore ways to build on their advocacy. Together, we identified a growing concern: the widespread availability of online health misinformation, particularly misinformation related to reproductive health. We launched RHOMP to research the scope and impact of this issue and to explore potential legislative solutions.
On August 13, 2026, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer Kahan (CA Assembly District 16) introduced the resolution to establish September 2026 as Young Women’s Reproductive Health Awareness Month on the floor of the California Assembly.
The 30-page RHOMP report is the culmination of five months of research, which began in February 2026. It describes the problem of online misinformation about reproductive health, articulates its impacts, and weighs potential legislative interventions in California.
Sim Sidhu
Amy Hom
Claire Noonan
Dr. Missy Maceyko
Sonrisa Dhar
Sofia Gurrola
Cailyn Chan
Abigail Poncia
Denise Burian
The Team
The report was led and co-authored by the RHOMP research team, including:
the HER Health Initiative founders;
AAUW California Public Policy interns from California State University, Long Beach;
members from the Orinda-Moraga-Lafayette Branch of AAUW California; and
AAUW California PP&A Committee members.
Research and report writing was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Melissa Maceyko, AAUW California Director of Public Policy. For more team info see here.
Coming Up Next: The Legislation?
AAUW California Public Policy & Advocacy is sharing the RHOMP report with members of the California Legislature to encourage consideration of the report’s recommendations and to identify a legislative champion for the effort. Follow us here for updates on the development of legislation addressing digital literacy and/or misinformation related to reproductive health in 2027.
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