That is a good point. While most of the romance stories that I write are realistic in the setting, I do have to consider the times and government policies in the story. A big issue for mine is whether or not the characters would be allowed to get married, if that is what they even want. Writing gay romance makes that a factor. If a character is in the military, have to consider if it's before or after the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. There are factors in our world that can have a big influence, and that is a part of the cultural setting.

That being said, I do sometimes just think "well, it's modern time with the usual laws and enforcement that we currently know in general" instead of going into too many details unless there is something that I know comes up in the story.