She Made Reproductive Freedom Part of Equal Citizenship
For Steinem, abortion was part of a much wider question about who gets to control a person’s body and future. She defined reproductive freedom as “the right to decide when and whether to have a child, without government interference,” and argued that this freedom affects health, education, employment, economic security, and participation in public life.
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In 1970, testifying before the U.S. Senate in support of the Equal Rights Amendment, Steinem declared that women’s bodies should no longer be treated as state property for producing workers and soldiers. Two years later, the first stand-alone issue of Ms. magazine included “We Have Had Abortions,” a petition signed by Steinem and 52 other prominent women demanding an end to laws restricting reproductive freedom.
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Steinem Broke the Silence Around Women’s Bodies
Her writing also challenged the shame and silence surrounding women’s bodies. In the 1978 satire “If Men Could Menstruate,” Steinem imagined periods becoming a source of status, pride, and extensive medical research if men experienced them.
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She later worked with Robin Morgan on “The International Crime of Genital Mutilation,” published in Ms. in 1980. The report examined the physical harm caused by cutting female genitalia and connected the practice to efforts to control women’s bodies and sexuality.
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Steinem helped turn those ideas into political action, galvanizing a movement. She cofounded the National Women’s Political Caucus and the Ms. Foundation for Women, served as president and cofounder of the political action committee Voters for Choice, and cofounded Choice USA, now known as URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity. These groups work to elect women, fund grassroots organizations, protect abortion and contraception access, and develop new generations of reproductive-rights leaders.
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She Survived Breast Cancer and a Severe Facial Pain Disorder
In 1986, at age 52, Steinem was diagnosed with breast cancer. Doctors removed a small malignant lump, and she underwent radiation but not chemotherapy. By 2010, she said the cancer had not returned and that the experience had made her more conscious of how she spent her time.
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In 1994, she was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic nerve disorder that causes intense attacks of facial pain. Steinem described excruciating pain in her face and jaw that at times left her unable to speak or walk. Pain medication offered little relief, she said, and she was largely confined to her home, where she could still read and write.
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The experience also made Steinem think about unequal access to healthcare. She noted that people with less money or inadequate insurance might undergo costly and unnecessary dental work before getting the correct diagnosis.
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Women’s Health Remained Part of Her Work Until the End
In July 2026, Steinem hosted a talking circle in the living room of her Manhattan brownstone. The topic was endometriosis, a painful condition in which cells similar to the lining of the uterus, or endometrium, grow outside the uterus. People living with the condition joined doctors, researchers, and advocates to discuss pain, delayed diagnosis, isolation, and gaps in medical care.
“We can all participate and agree and disagree and learn and discover what we thought we knew was wrong. Great things happen in the circle,” she said of the gathering.
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According to the announcement of her death, Steinem spent her final years doing what she most loved: writing and bringing people together. Her final memoir, An Unexpected Life, is scheduled for publication in September. Her home will become a center for social justice movements, and the talking circles she hosted there will continue.
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