More than a quarter century has gone by, but there’s so much I remember about that day in Miami: The tacky black satin sheets on the bed in the one-bedroom condo my boyfriend’s friend had loaned us for our weekend trip, the white glare of the sun outside, and the double line on the indicator window of the at-home pregnancy test I held in my hand.
I was 26 at the time and had recently come into possession of a master’s degree in international affairs as well as US citizenship. When I indulged in Seussian daydreams about Oh, all the places I’d go!, parenthood didn’t figure among the exciting possibilities. I had a job that was rewarding but not all that well-paid. Adding child-care expenses on top of my student loan payments and subtracting a mommy tax would stretch my finances to the limit.
But mine wasn’t just a cold calculus, all dollars and cents. There was family history to consider, too. My sister and I were raised by a single mother. We were well-provided for, but my father never changed a diaper, nursed a cold, or packed a school lunch. My mother’s frustrated career ambitions were like a colorless, odorless gas that wafted through our home, occasionally triggering explosions. I wasn’t ready to make that kind of sacrifice. When I returned to New York City, I got an abortion.
Esta historia es de la edición August 08 - 15, 2022 (Double Issue) de Bloomberg Businessweek US.
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Esta historia es de la edición August 08 - 15, 2022 (Double Issue) de Bloomberg Businessweek US.
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