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Gloria Steinem Dies at 92 After Illegal Abortion in 1957

9/5/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Gloria Steinem, U.S. feminist, died this week at age 92.
She arrived in Bombay in 1957 on a Chester Bowles fellowship after fleeing an unwanted marriage.
While awaiting an Indian visa in London, she obtained an illegal abortion after discovering a pregnancy.
She said the 1957 Indian experience inspired Ms. magazine’s 1972 cover that portrayed an American housewife as goddess Kali.

History

Historical Context

In July 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the Seneca Falls Convention in New York, drawing about 300 people and producing the Declaration of Sentiments, which 68 women and 32 men signed. Frederick Douglass’s advocacy for suffrage helped cement the resolution. Centennial stamps in 1948 and a 1998 speech by Hillary Clinton show the document’s lasting influence on today’s feminist media debates.

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Story summary

Gloria Steinem, U.S. feminist, died this week at age 92.
She arrived in Bombay in 1957 on a Chester Bowles fellowship after fleeing an unwanted marriage.
While awaiting an Indian visa in London, she obtained an illegal abortion after discovering a pregnancy.
She said the 1957 Indian experience inspired Ms. magazine’s 1972 cover that portrayed an American housewife as goddess Kali.

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