Gloria Steinem, feminist icon and fierce abortion advocate, dies at 92

Gloria Steinem, the iconic and fierce advocate for feminism and abortion, has died at the age of 92, according to a message Thursday on her official social media.

"Yesterday, Gloria Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her," the message in her Instagram account stated. "Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end."

With her blonde streaked hair and trademark glasses, Steinem rose from the daughter of a traveling salesman to one of the top voices of the 1970s feminism movement.

With books, speeches and frequent television appearances, she argued for a new era of women's rights and liberation, including that abortion was an essential element of democracy.

"The wish of the average citizen, male and female, is not to have government intervention in that most private area of personal freedom,” Steinem declared in 1972 on NBC's Meet the Press as the Roe v. Wade debate raged.