Gloria Steinem, a feminist writer and abortion-rights advocate, died on September 2, 2026 at her home in New York City, a post on her social media pages said. She was 92.
“Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” said the statement.
At the age of 22, Steinem had an illegal abortion in England. She dedicated her 2015 memoir, “My Life on the Road”, to this doctor, recounting: “He said, ‘You must promise me two things. First, you will not tell anyone my name. Second, you will do what you want to do with your life.’”
Steinem never regretted her abortion. “[Abortion] is supposed to make us a bad person. But I must say, I never felt that,” she said. “I used to sit and try and figure out how old the child would be, trying to make myself feel guilty. But I never could!”
In 1972, Steinem co-founded Ms. magazine, a feminist publication. She was also active in many second-wave feminist organisations, becoming a leader in that field.
She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honour given to a civilian in the United States, in 2013. She was honoured numerous times by the United Nations.
In 1978, Steinem sparked significant controversy after she, a non-Catholic laywoman with an outspoken record of supporting abortion rights, was the homilist at two Masses at St Joan of Arc parish in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Steinem did not mention either abortion or birth control outright during the homilies, but she did express a desire for a society where women “can control simply our own bodies . . . to no longer be controlled by patriarchal institutions”, said the New York Times at the time.
Archbishop John R Roach of St Paul and Minneapolis condemned Steinem’s presence at the Masses and rebuked the priest, Fr Harvey Egan, for inviting her to speak.
“Rarely have I felt such a sense of sorrow as I did when I saw the picture of Ms Steinem preaching before the altar and the news description of her message,” said Archbishop Roach at the time, noting that her views on abortion were public knowledge.
“To give her a platform, particularly during the Eucharist, in a Catholic church is an affront to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as well as to those generous people who have worked so hard to protect life,” he said.
Fr Egan, he said, “is a priest of this archdiocese and I am forced, though painfully, to deal with him as I would any priest so publicly defiant of Church law”. Homilies, he said, are supposed to be an opportunity for a member of the clergy to proclaim the Gospel, not to host speakers.
“To assume that there is any reason for giving that precious time to Ms Steinem is contrary not only to Church law but to the Church’s deep tradition that the homilist must keep in mind that the mystery is being celebrated,” said Archbishop Roach.
Steinem was predeceased by her husband, David Bale, in 2003.
