Banning Abortion Will Unravel a Lifetime of Economic Progress

Fear is like acid on the brain, etching memories that remain long after you’ve forgotten things like the formula for photosynthesis or your first boyfriend’s favorite band.

- By Cristina Lindblad

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.