June 12, 1971 Photo Courtesy of Gloria’s Foundation Archive – From L to R, Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm, Betty Friedan
“Abortion doesn’t belong in the political arena. It’s a private right, like many other rights concerning the family.” ~ Bella Abzug
“No matter what men think, abortion is a fact of life. Women have always had them; they always have and they always will. Are they going to have good ones or bad ones? Will the good ones be reserved for the rich, while the poor women go to quacks?” ~ Shirley Chisholm
“Am I saying that women must be liberated from motherhood? No. I am saying that motherhood will only be a joyous and responsible human act when women are free to make, with full conscious choice and full human responsibility, the decisions to become mothers. Then, and only then, will they be able to embrace motherhood without conflict, when they will be able to define themselves not just the somebody’s mother, not just as servants of children, not just is breeding receptacles, but as people for whom motherhood is a freely chosen part of life, freely celebrated while it lasts, but for whom creativity has many more dimensions, as it has for men.”~ Betty Friedan
“If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament” ~ Gloria Steinem
During my coming-of-age journey in the late 1960s and early 1970s, my heroes were these four women; my personal role model, however, was Gloria Steinem. These Fabulous Four are credited with being giants in the movement for women’s equality and expanded opportunities known as the Second Wave of Feminism, which included the landmark 1973 Supreme Court Decision known as Roe v. Wade, which was a turning point in women’s history.
Let’s take a look back at what these four women did that led up to that watershed moment and beyond, with the help and inspiration of the civil rights movement, as well as the arrival of The Pill.
Betty
The Second Wave of Feminism–the one many of us women of a certain age experienced and the account of which we have passed on to the generations that have followed–is generally recognized as having begun in 1963 with the historic publication of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. This was the groundbreaking opus that resulted in women’s conscious-raising and the subsequent rage and need for liberation on various fronts. It was a shot heard ’round the world! In her book, Betty unpacks “the problem that has no name,” and in doing so improved women’s lives for generations.
But Betty Friedan did not stop there. She went on to co-found the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966; the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, the name later changed to the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) in 1969; and along with Shirley, Bella and Gloria (and Fannie Lou Hamer) the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971. And she was in attendance, as was Gloria and other feminist luminaries, at the 1975 United Nations International Women’s Year World Conference in Mexico City.
Betty was never one to ever shy away from controversy, whether she was challenging the agenda at the aforementioned conference, or accusing Julia Child of doing everything she could to keep women in the kitchen! Regarding the latter, as reported by the Washington Post, the New York Times and other publications, the feminist leader roundly criticized the chef extraordinaire, with these words: “I’ve seen your program, and it’s not helping things. You think you’re opening doors for women, expanding their horizons. They may be dreaming of France, but they’re stuck in front of a hot stove.” Today, however, women seemed to have figured out how to have a career, family and social life while finding time occasionally to whip up something fabulous in the kitchen!
Betty passed away in 2006 at the age of 85.
Shirley
I am proud to say that U.S. Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, who in 1968 became the first Black woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, represented my NYC 12th congressional district the entire time that I lived there, from 1969 to 1982. And she contributed greatly to New York State legalizing abortion in 1970, and the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision that made Roe v. Wade the law of the land. Shirley Chisholm also became the first Black candidate to run for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 1972.
And no one presented the moral and practical reasons for government keeping its hands off women’s reproductive rights, freedom and justice than Shirley Chisholm did. Please read her remarkable and comprehensive statement by clicking on this link.
Shirley also strongly supported Title IX, which states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Title IX is a law that was passed in 1972 by a Democratically-controlled Congress (House and Senate) and signed by a Republican president (guess who?). In our modern environment, many interpret Title IX wording, “on the basis of sex,” to mean that it also protects transgender people from discrimination, including being banned from sports teams that receive federal funding.
Note: According to Pew Research, most Americans believe in protecting the rights of transgender people, but at the same time most Americans believe that one exception should be the right of a transgender girl or woman to play on an all-girls’ or all-women’s athletic team because it would give cis-girls a physical disadvantage. But this opinion piece in Scientific American makes the case that there is no scientific validity to such claims. And, really, haven’t we been here before when Black athletes were banned from major teams? And even today — aside from the usual racial bigotry — the myth that Black athletes are physically superior to white athletes persists. Yet Black and white athletes have integrated and played together with and against each other in multiple team sports, and competed against each other individually. Let’s hope that society soon becomes enlightened about trans girls and women, as well.
Shirley passed away in 2005 at age 80. In 2015, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Bella
The Justices who changed women’s lives in America for the better in 1973 with their majority decision in Roe v. Wade were history’s heroes; they were Justice Harry Blackmun, who wrote the majority opinion, Chief Justice Warren Burger, and Justices Potter Stewart, William J. Brennan, Jr., William O. Douglas, Thurgood Marshall and Lewis F. Powell, Jr. The Pro-Choice Movement rejoiced! Millions of women, the men who loved them, their families, employers, and other Americans rejoiced!
But not everyone was happy with the decision; others were either indifferent or infuriated. Abortion had long been a divisive issue and the passing of Roe sharpened the divide. For that reason, the day after Roe v. Wade became the law of the land, New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug urged her fellow representatives to codify Roe. She knew that there would be challenges to the decision and she wanted to ensure that it was made stronger with the backing of the Legislative Branch.
To that end, Representative Abzug introduced Abortion Rights Act, H.R. 254, which would codify Roe and also prohibit states from “regulating” Roe in the second and third trimesters, which the Court’s decision allowed them to do.
But Congress ignored Bella’s bill to the peril of losing women’s reproductive rights, which is exactly what happened nearly a half century later. In 2022, there still was no law to state in no uncertain terms the right of a woman to reproductive freedom in making decisions about her own body and to prohibit government interference; thus, the Supreme Court overturned Roe in the Dobbs decision. Had Bella Abzug’s fellow representatives — Democrats, Republicans and Independents in both houses of Congress — supported her prescient bill back then, and even tried to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution over the ensuing years, we would not be climbing this mountain again to once more plant the freedom of choice flag at the top. (See “ERA” under “Gloria.”)
Known as “Battling Bella” who was said to have been “born yelling,” you can read more about the late, great Bella Abzug by snagging a copy of either or both of these books: Bella! Ms. Abzug Goes to Washington (autobiography, 1972, published by my former employer, Saturday Review Press) and Abzuglutely! (biography, 2024).
Bella! passed away in 1998 at age 77.
Gloria
The name, “Gloria Steinem,” is synonymous with “feminism” and “women’s equality.” And she, as well as her previously-mentioned fellow Fabulous Four feminists, has been on the forefront of the fight for women’s reproductive freedom, a term that she popularized.
“Opposing women’s right to control our own bodies is always the first step in every authoritarian regime,” Gloria Steinem stated in an Aljazeera 2019 interview. And for her decades-long work in helping women to achieve respect and equality worldwide and promoting lasting social change, she was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, and commented on the honor.
Of all the leaders of women’s liberation in the 1970s, Gloria Steinem was my main hero. She was young and hip and she had what I consider to be a softly authoritative approach to encouraging women to stand up for themselves and recognize their own power and worth. While not preachy, she had a strong message and she knew how to deliver it, whether in a public address or in print as a talented journalist.
In 1963, her now-famous essay, I Was a Playboy Bunny, first appeared in Show magazine, and was made into the movie, A Bunny’s Tale, in 1985. At first, the essay stymied Gloria’s journalism career, but it reportedly inspired Hugh Hefner to make at least modest improvements in the Bunnies’ employment practices. As an emerging feminist in my 20s, for me the essay held special meaning, as I was taken on dates in the 1970s to the Playboy Clubs in Chicago and New York, worked with a guy who was dating a Playboy Bunny, and later lived across the street from the Chicago Playboy Mansion! Gloria’s essay demystified the Playboy empire. As for Gloria’s career, any damage done by the Playboy essay was overshadowed by subsequent successes. As for the essay itself, it helped to change lives and is an accomplishment that Gloria herself reportedly celebrates.
In 1971, Gloria co-founded Ms. Magazine, a groundbreaking publication that further energized the women’s movement. I was a charter subscriber, and overnight went from being a “Miss” to a “Ms.”; today, a reproduction of the first cover hangs on the wall of my home office. One of magazine’s most appreciated articles was Gloria’s 1978, If Men Could Menstruate, which showcased not only a major issue in the gender divide, but also Gloria’s sense of humor in getting across a serious point. Ms. is still around, having endured for more than a half century
In 1983, Gloria published her first book, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, in which the aforementioned Playboy Bunny essay is included. You can see the complete list of Gloria’s books by going here.
Gloria has been a strong proponent of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), the status of which should be addressed more vigorously. It is an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that is sorely needed and long overdue. The ERA achieved the required number of states in 2020 to ratify, with Virginia being the last state needed. But the deadline to ratify had passed, and five states rescinded their votes – Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee, and South Dakota. If those states reverse those decisions, it is possible that Congress, with a certain political composition, can remove the deadline requirement and the ERA can become part of the Constitution. That could result in Dobbs being overturned and women’s reproductive rights being restored. I have never given up, and (somewhere) I still have my ERA pendant that says, “Failure is impossible.” (I think I might also still have my pink-tinted aviator glasses, inspired by Gloria).
On another personal note, I am grateful to Ms. Steinem for her part in establishing “Take Our Daughters to Work Day” in the 1990s. At my place of work at a Wall Street financial services company, I was given permission to organize programs for my sector. As a result, my then young daughter and I, with the support of senior management, created and executed seven consecutive events for the daughters of employees in the age range of eight to 15 that became extremely popular. The events focused on themes that included career planning, video presentations, workplace safety, managing investments in the NYSE, planning for Y2K, marketing and business etiquette.
Gloria’s family background in activism and her own experiences inspired her to become involved in removing the barriers that women face in all aspects of society. You can read more about her journey and achievements here.
Gloria Steinem continues to speak out today on women’s issues. She truly is a champion for the ages for women’s rights, respect and freedom at home and around the world.
The Torch Has Passed To New Generations
We Boomers are not done fighting, but the torch has passed to Gens X, Y and Z to reignite the fiery spirit that got us our reproductive freedom more than a half century ago, and once again carry us forward, as hostile forces move to pull us backward.
The obvious steps we can all take to restore women’s reproductive freedom and rights is to speak up and speak out to our elected officials, locally and at the state and federal levels. Now is not the time to remain silent. And, of course, it is imperative to vote in every election for candidates who share your views on reproductive rights, including the right to a safe abortion and birth-control methods and other women’s healthcare needs. And be sure to check candidates’ credentials to ensure that they are being truthful about their positions and intentions. Now is not the time to sit out an election!
Join like-minded groups to present a show of strength, and to keep up your spirits and optimism.
There are many ways to protest besides physically attending a demonstration. Check out the group, Indivisible, for one, for phone banking and other opportunities to get involved.
If you do decide to attend a demonstration, follow legal and safety guidelines. And ensure that the group you are with has checked the local police department or city/town/village hall to obtain a permit if required. If you are a minor, get your parents’ permission!
Other ways to get involved is to write letters to the editor to local and national publications and comment on articles and on civilized social media. You can be loud and clear, and civil – name calling, insults and cursing are not as effective as firmly stating the facts to make your case. When making your views known, if you want to influence others to join your side it’s fine to be forceful — but also be trustworthy, articulate, informed, inspiring and witty — humor is often used to make a point.
The women featured in this post are outstanding role models on how to get things done, as some techniques are timeless.
We still have the power of the First Amendment and our votes. We need to use them wisely and often.
And follow the examples of Betty, Shirley, Bella and Gloria. Although we are in a different and in many ways more dangerous era, we can still find the courage, the fire and our voices to fight for our rights. Just as the Fabulous Four did.
Happy Women’s History Month. Let’s continue to make women’s history!
Until next time,
Jeanne
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