Gloria Steinem, the feminist activist, journalist, and decades-long advocate for reproductive rights, died on September 2 at her home in New York City. She was 92.
Her death was confirmed in a post on her official Instagram page, according to Healthline. "Gloria Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her," the post read. No cause of death was given.
The post described the scope of her final years. "Gloria's near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end," it said. "She spent her recent years doing the two things she loved most: being in community with others and writing."
The Instagram post noted that "Gloria loved the tradition of lighting signal fires on hills to light the way to the other side of the mountain" and asked that others light a candle in her honor. In lieu of flowers, her representatives asked that those wishing to pay tribute make a donation to Gloria's Foundation.
Steinem spent more than five decades fighting for causes including reproductive freedom, domestic violence prevention, and gender, racial, and sexual equality in the workplace. Her advocacy for women's rights began in the late 1960s, and she was a co-founder of Ms. Magazine, which she used as a platform to write frequently about abortion and reproductive rights.
On her website, Steinem stated her reasons for fighting for reproductive freedom. "The attempts to oppose reproductive freedom are long, violent, and current. Male control of reproduction and women's bodies is the first step in every hierarchy," she wrote. "Equality between men and women – starting with our ability to control our own bodies – is the beginning of democracy."
Sarah Prager, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington, described Steinem's broader significance. "Gloria Steinem is a towering figure of hope and strength for feminists, humanists, those who believe in equality and equity, and for all people who benefit from women and people of all genders participating in the world in a full and complete way," Prager said.
Prager also described Steinem's specific contributions to reproductive rights. "Gloria Steinem helped to promote reproductive rights by highlighting the dangers to women and families when these rights are suppressed, by talking about her own abortion, and by writing about abortion and reproductive rights frequently in Ms. Magazine, which she co-founded," Prager said.
Steinem also helped found the National Women's Political Caucus and the Women's Media Center. Her vision extended beyond gender to include LGBTQ+ rights and racial equality, and she maintained throughout her career that gender and racial inequality were inseparable.
