Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

by Irin Carmon

January 22, 1973: In Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, the Supreme Court makes abortion legal throughout the United States. RBG is uneasy about how the court got there, and how fast. “This right of privacy . . . is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.” —Justice Harry Blackmun, Roe v. Wade

When I asked her if she still experiences sexism, RBG replied readily. “Yes. Less than I once did. Once it happened all the time that I would say something and there was no response. And then a man would say the same thing and people would say, ‘Good idea.’” She laughed. “That happens much less today.”