--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The belief that women should control our…" description: "\"The belief that women should control our own bodies may be a majority belief, but the minority that believes otherwise is against not only safe and leg..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/gloria-steinem-277_abortion_the-belief-that-women-should-control-our_271387.jpg" --- # The belief that women should control our own bodies may be… ![“The belief that women should control our own bodies may be a majority belief, but the minority that believes otherwise is against not only safe and legal abortions but contraception and even sex education.” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/gloria-steinem-277_abortion_the-belief-that-women-should-control-our_271387.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/gloria-steinem-277_abortion_the-belief-that-women-should-control-our_271387.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/gloria-steinem-277_abortion_the-belief-that-women-should-control-our_271387.jpg) > “The belief that women should control our own bodies may be a majority belief, but the minority that believes otherwise is against not only safe and legal abortions but contraception and even sex education.” [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that while most support bodily autonomy, a minority opposes safe abortions, contraception, and sex education, highlighting a conflict between majority and minority views. **In simple terms:** Most support bodily autonomy; some oppose it. Key Takeaway Advocate for comprehensive reproductive rights. Themes bodily autonomy reproductive rights minority opposition public health education Mood determined concerned Type advocacy political When to use this quote - policy debates - healthcare provision - sex education curricula - public rallies Key Concepts feminism ethics political discourse Questions to Reflect On - How can dialogue bridge the gap between majority and minority views? - What strategies can protect reproductive rights amid opposition? A Different Perspective The minority view may be rooted in cultural or religious beliefs that complicate consensus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abortion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Birth control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth-control/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Contraception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contraception/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Minorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minorities/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Sex education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex-education/) ## Related quotes > [The Miss America Pageant reinforces a belief that women are merely how they look and how they please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-miss-america-pageant-reinforces-a-belief-that-women-are-merely/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Unfortunately, the belief that women are a minority is endemic in most cultures around the world. Obviously some take it to the extreme where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-anderson/unfortunately-the-belief-that-women-are-a-minority-is-endemic-in-most/) [Gillian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-anderson/) > [“If I grew up in the simple-minded belief that women were as strong and intelligent as men, it was because I came from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-abbott/if-i-grew-up-in-the-simple-minded-belief-that-women-were-as-strong/) Shirley Abbott > [I have such a strong belief in women's ability to sustain each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deidre-hall/i-have-such-a-strong-belief-in-women-s-ability-to-sustain-each-other/) [Deidre Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deidre-hall/) > [Infidelity flows from a belief that women have the power to make you feel like a man if you only find a woman that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-pittman/infidelity-flows-from-a-belief-that-women-have-the-power-to-make-you/) [Frank Pittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-pittman/) > [What is feminism? Simply the belief that women should be as free as men, however nuts, dim, deluded, badly dressed, fat, receding, lazy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/what-is-feminism-simply-the-belief-that-women-should-be-as-free-as-2/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [What is feminism? Simply the belief that women should be as free as men, however nuts, dim, deluded, badly dressed, fat, receding, lazy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/what-is-feminism-simply-the-belief-that-women-should-be-as-free-as/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [If you listen to the Catholic bishops you would think that Catholics are against contraception and legal abortion, but if you ask actual Catholics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-listen-to-the-catholic-bishops-you-would-think-that-catholics/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [ The power of the state stops at our skins. They can't restrict contraception \[or\] abortion. They can't take our kidneys. Bodily integrity is a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-power-of-the-state-stops-at-our-skins-they-can-t-restrict/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Think for a moment about what Obamacare has done: The federal government has come up with its own (ever-evolving) definition of 'health insurance,' which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornyn/think-for-a-moment-about-what-obamacare-has-done-the-federal/) [John Cornyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornyn/) > [Ninety-eight percent of women in childbearing age who are Catholic use contraception. Ok, so in practice the church has not enforced this and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/ninety-eight-percent-of-women-in-childbearing-age-who-are-catholic/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [I want to tell you a terrific story about oral contraception. I asked this girl to sleep with me and she said 'No.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-want-to-tell-you-a-terrific-story-about-oral-contraception-i-asked/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [If you really do want to increase women's status, you could focus on just that, but you'd probably better focus also on women's education.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-c-nussbaum/if-you-really-do-want-to-increase-women-s-status-you-could-focus-on/) [Martha C. Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-c-nussbaum/) > [Sensible Catholics have for generations been ignoring the views on contraception held by reactionary old men in the Vatican, but alas, since it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/sensible-catholics-have-for-generations-been-ignoring-the-views-on/) [A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) ## More by Gloria Steinem > [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More Abortion quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 > [Hey everyone, in case y'all didn't hear, I'm pregnat, and after discussing it w/ my family, I've decided to get an abortion, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-badesheim/hey-everyone-in-case-y-all-didn-t-hear-i-m-pregnat-and-after/) Madison Badesheim > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [My favorite Founding Fathers, Christians like John Adams, were absolutely appalled by slavery, and did not own slaves. I think we're going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/my-favorite-founding-fathers-christians-like-john-adams-were/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“David Bereit, Founder of Forty Days for Life, points out that any abortion clinic in America should have a sign in its window that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/david-bereit-founder-of-forty-days-for-life-points-out-that-any/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [I'm a pro-life candidate because I believe that science is proving us right every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/i-m-a-pro-life-candidate-because-i-believe-that-science-is-proving-us/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion…has been born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-noticed-that-everyone-who-is-for-abortion-has-been-born/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [We talk a lot about how abortion is a medical procedure, but actually if you look at what the other side is doing, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-northup/we-talk-a-lot-about-how-abortion-is-a-medical-procedure-but-actually/) [Nancy Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-northup/) > [“The Vatican won't prosecute pedophile priests but I decide I'm not ready for motherhood and it's condemnation for me? These are the same people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-renee-taylor/the-vatican-won-t-prosecute-pedophile-priests-but-i-decide-i-m-not/) Sonya Renee Taylor > [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [I am 100 percent pro-life and have been my whole life. That means I am opposed to abortion at any stage of pregnancy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hawley/i-am-100-percent-pro-life-and-have-been-my-whole-life-that-means-i-am/) [Josh Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hawley/) > [Any woman should have the right to a safe and legal abortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-ford/any-woman-should-have-the-right-to-a-safe-and-legal-abortion/) [Betty Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-ford/) > [“For Republicans, life begins at conception but ends at birth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/for-republicans-life-begins-at-conception-but-ends-at-birth/) [J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/) > [I think fundamentally, the real power behind the anti-choice movement in regard to abortion and the opposition to the rights of LGBT Americans is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-w-lynn/i-think-fundamentally-the-real-power-behind-the-anti-choice-movement/) [Barry W. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-w-lynn/) [Browse all 1,629 Abortion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The belief that women should control our own bodies may be a majority belief, but the minority that believes otherwise is against not only safe and legal abortions but contraception and even sex education.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gloria Steinem" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-belief-that-women-should-control-our-own-bodies-may-be-a-majority/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abortion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-belief-that-women-should-control-our-own-bodies-may-be-a-majority/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/gloria-steinem-277_abortion_the-belief-that-women-should-control-our_271387.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/gloria-steinem-277_abortion_the-belief-that-women-should-control-our_271387.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/gloria-steinem-277_abortion_the-belief-that-women-should-control-our_271387.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The belief that women should control our own bodies may be a majority belief, but the minority that believes…” — Gloria Steinem", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gloria Steinem", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The belief that women should control...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-belief-that-women-should-control-our-own-bodies-may-be-a-majority/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-belief-that-women-should-control-our-own-bodies-may-be-a-majority/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```