The "current crisis of feminism" is that "[j]ust as some insist that racism is dead because we elected a black president, many assume that, since we have some female senators and CEOs and Oprah, the battle for women's rights is done," Boston Globe columnist Joanna Weiss writes. She adds that she recently spoke about the issue with Gloria Steinem, who is scheduled to speak in Boston on Thursday.

Paraphrasing Steinem, Weiss writes that "[a]bortion was critical to the early cause, ... not just because back-alley procedures were so risky, but because control over reproduction was the underpinning of every other gain." Weiss continues that today, feminists are more concerned about better access to birth control, better sex education and expansions of sick and maternity leave.

Weiss also discusses the debate over whether Sarah Palin is a feminist, since allowing her "into the fold" of feminism would "set aside the matters of toxic disagreement and champion some of the rest." Weiss notes that Steinem does not believe Palin is a feminist. Steinem said that while a person can be a feminist and oppose abortion, one cannot be a feminist and tell others what to do. Weiss writes that Palin is a "powerful woman with young kids and a helpful husband," adding that Steinem's "chief problem [with her] is what Palin represents: an opponent of the feminist agenda, pulled onto a national ticket for her gender alone" (Weiss, Boston Globe, 12/5).

Opinion Piece Discusses Abortion Rights as Relationship 'Sticking Point'

In a separate opinion piece, Globe columnist Jodi Daynard discusses how she and her husband sharply disagree about abortion rights. She writes, "Is it politicians who have fomented this polarity, in order to win our votes? I'm no philosopher, but I think it has to do with how we define ourselves as human beings" (Daynard, Boston Globe, 12/5)

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