URGE Statement on the Passing of Gloria Steinem

We are saddened by the news of Gloria Steinem’s passing on September 2, 2026. Gloria Steinem was a staunch advocate for women’s rights, the right to abortion, and a proponent for sex education. Throughout her life, Ms. Steinem valued equality from advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment to advancing the movement to legalize abortion in the US. She co-founded Ms. Magazine in 1972 to advance issues which matter to women and were not being discussed. She later co-founded Choice USA, today URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, because she believed in the power of young people. 

Kimberly Inez McGuire, Chief Executive Officer for URGE: Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity:

“Gloria Steinem was the trailblazing feminist, a journalist, a truthteller, and one of the founders of URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity. A Fierce advocate for working people, Gloria Steinem seamlessly connected economic and gender justice. She saw and celebrated the role of young people in feminism early on and without her, we would not be here today. We honor her life and legacy and mourn her passing. Her fingerprints are all around us.” 

Gloria is survived by a generation of young activists who are taking the work she began, making it stronger, broader and more inclusive, as they lead the fight for a freer and more just world. 

We carry her lessons, her values, and her mission forward throughout our work at URGE and our day-to-day fight for Reproductive Justice. May her memory be a blessing.