A Magazine of Feminist, Progressive Thinking

Fearless truth-telling, daring commentary, challenging and creative analysis, pro-active conclusions. Articles from the past 40 years with surprising relevance for the present and the future, encouraging thought and action. We hope you’ll be inspired by the newly re-digitized On The Issues Magazine.

"She Had a Heartbeat Too" The Tragic Death of Savita Halappanavar in an Irish Hospital
by Ann Rossiter
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Fracking’s Health Calamities Left to Fester
By Jan Goodwin
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Women’s Liberation Consciousness-Raising: Then and Now
by Carol Hanisch
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The First — and the Next — Time I Stood Up for Abortion Rights
By Sunsara Taylor
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Convictions to Action: Lessons from Margaret Sanger
by Gloria Feldt
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The Appeal of Fundamentalism
by Frances Kissling
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Fear & Loathing Deconstructed: An Essay on Gloria Steinem’s Revolution from Within
by Naomi Wolf
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The Politics of Violence
by Charlotte Bunch
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Fay Stender and the Politics of Murder
by Diana Russell
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Trans Health Care Is A Life and Death Matter
by Eleanor J. Bader
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A Feminist Looks at Masculine Rage and the Haditha Massacre
by Kathleen Barry
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Women Hold Demonstrations for Liberation in Iran and Afghanistan
By Carol Downer
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The Terror of Motherhood in Somaliland and Women’s Rights to Safe Care
by Edna Adan Ismail
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J’ACCUSE!
by Laura Flanders
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Iran: Sexual Apartheid in Iran
by Mahin Hassibi
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The Complexity of Human Relationships: A Tribute to Barbara Seaman
by Judy Norsigian
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Know Thy Clitoris
by Rebecca Chalker
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The Poet’s Eye: Spring ’11
by Judith Arcana
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Sharing the Joy of Resistance Through Radio
by Fran Luck
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My Heroines
by Marge Piercy
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Fountain of Youth: For Men Only
by Molly Haskell
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To Be Male or To Be Female That Is the Question
by Marilyn Stasio
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The Republican War Against Women
By Tanya Melich
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My Feminist Action: Locating Sex in Sexual Harassment and Rape
by Kathleen Barry
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Filming to Shatter the Stigma
by Jennifer Baumgardner
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Women And The War On Terror: An Unintended Consequence?
by Sallie Bingham
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Who Stole Incest?
by Louise Armstrong
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Natural Disasters, Climate Change Uproot Women of Color
by Jacqui Patterson
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Abortion and Reproductive Rights

Contributions from various authors who have played integral role in abortion history.

Activism and Politics in the United States

Thoughts and perspectives from acticvists on abortion, women's rights, equality and more.

Feminism and Love

Reflections on the dynamics of sex, love, gender roles, relationships and feminism.

OTI Classics

Editorial

LOVE AND DEATH ON 86

by Merle Hoffman I am overhearing a phone conversation – the tone of the speaker is intimate – concerned – loving parental… long complicated words are being spelled out – RETINITIS – CHEMOTHERAPY – LYMPHADEN0PATHY …

Earth

The Greening of the World: An Exclusive Interview with Petra Kelly, Founder of the West German Green Party and Anti Nuclear Activist

by Merle Hoffman MH: How did you achieve your level of political consciousness and activism? PK: One of my mottos is that “The personal is the political, and the political is the personal.” It started rather early …

1990 Winter

Guam Territory in Turmoil

by Amy Goodman She walked into the governor’s office wearing a Halloween mask, a purple wig, a floor-length red velvet cape and army fatigues. She was in disguise and she was scared. Her lawyer had …

1991 Spring

“I Am Against Fanatics”: A Dialogue Between Elie Wiesel and Merle Hoffman on Abortion, Love and the Holocaust

The first time I heard it was in Detroit in 1982. The words shot out at me like bullets, creating an immediate mental image that could not be shared. I had just finished responding to …

Media

Abortionomics and Russia by Merle Hoffman

On The Issues Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Merle Hoffman talks about “Abortionomics and Russia.” Check out more about her memoir, Intimate Wars: http://intimatewars.com

Abortion: A Different Light

Abortion: A Different Light, produced by Merle Hoffman in 1982 and featuring prominent figures in the battle for safe, legal reproductive rights, including Sarah Weddington, attorney who represented “Jane Roe” before the Supreme Court in 1973; Bill Baird, pioneer in the battle for legal birth control; and others.

Choices Womens Medical Center NOW open in Jamaica, NY!

Check out the video chronicle of our journey to Jamaica! President/CEO Merle Hoffman guides viewers through the process of turning an empty building into a center for reproductive rights, sharing the nuts and bolts of being an abortion provider — from struggling to survive in a building with an anti-choice landlord, to persevering despite protesters, to designing space for patients. We’re proud of our beautiful new home, and can’t wait to share it with you.

Intimate Wars by Merle Hoffman

On The Issues Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Merle Hoffman talks about “Intimate Wars.” Check out more about her memoir, Intimate Wars: http://intimatewars.com

40 Years of Choices by Merle Hoffman

On The Issues Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Merle Hoffman talks about The Nature of Choice. Check out more about her memoir, Intimate Wars: http://intimatewars.com/

The Nature of Choice

On The Issues Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Merle Hoffman talks about “Intimate Wars.” Check out more about her memoir, Intimate Wars: http://intimatewars.com

Merle Hoffman recounts her life and career as a women’s health care activist. She recalls her founding in 1971, two years prior to the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, of Choices, an abortion clinic in New York City. Merle Hoffman responded to questions from members of the audience.

https://www.c-span.org/video/?306893-1/intimate-wars

About Us

Merle Hoffman, Founder/President of Choices Women’s Medical Center, began publishing On The Issues (OTI) in 1983 as a black-and-white newsletter sent out free-of-charge to Choices’ patients, staff and other interested parties. The enthusiastic response inspired her to develop OTI as the Progressive Feminist Magazine published quarterly through 1999, reaching a nationwide and international audience that grew to 20,000 subscribers. OTI went digital in 2008, continuing regular publication through 2012 and periodically after that. It became known for provocative and controversial articles, opinion pieces, and Hoffman’s editorials on burning questions that remain critical and relevant today.