women

Abortion in Austria

In the 1920s there was a severe housing shortage in Vienna, and when my friend Mariella’s parents got married, they could find no place to live. So they moved in with the husband’s mother, who specified that while they could live with her, but there could be no children. The new wife got pregnant, andContinue reading “Abortion in Austria”

Teenagers Dating in Austria

The sexual landscape in Austria is interesting. It seems quite typical of several European countries, but I have recently had the opportunity to hear about that particular country on an extended visit there. Birth control supplies are discounted for young people up to the age of 21, then they become more expensive. Yes, teenagers getContinue reading “Teenagers Dating in Austria”

Being Poor

According to Charles Blow’s article in The New York Times this morning ,“…the No. 1 reason people gave for our continuing poverty crisis was: ‘Too much welfare that prevents initiative.’” I’ll bet you never thought I had come close to welfare, with my two M.A.’s, a couple of successful careers, multilingual, well traveled. Some peopleContinue reading “Being Poor”

Babies without daddies

My doctor is pregnant. She’s a thin, elegant dermatologist who went through a bitter divorce and custody battle that lasted long after her separation from her husband. She had seemed strung out over the whole thing, and I was surprised to find her pregnant again. It turns out that she is the third of myContinue reading “Babies without daddies”

Giving Up Baby – Montclair Stories – Susan

Giving Up Baby – Susan Some of my women freshman students at Montclair State University chose abortion as the subject for one of their essays. As glibly as saying you can get takeout when you don’t feel like cooking, my students advised women in a crisis pregnancy to consider giving their babies up forContinue reading “Giving Up Baby – Montclair Stories – Susan”

Giving Up Baby – Montclair Stories – Miriam

I graduated from Montclair High School in 1959, and here are the stories of two women who graduated around the same time – both of them became pregnant shortly after high school and gave up their babies for adoption. The first story is about a childhood friend, Miriam. As young girls, Miriam and I gallopedContinue reading “Giving Up Baby – Montclair Stories – Miriam”

On being 71

A few weeks from my 71st birthday, here are some thoughts. Everybody has arthritis. Dr. Gerard Malanga, an outstanding doctor who advised me on a painful shoulder, said, “Everybody has arthritis after a certain age. The question is, ‘Does it hurt?’” My arthritis hurts only occasionally, and for that I credit my other best-doctor-in-the-world, VolodymyrContinue reading “On being 71”

Domesticated men

I have been watching two men take over the domestic life of their families — my son and my husband. My son has to take care of two children by himself for extended periods of time. He irons their school clothes and makes their lunches at night, figures out methods of discipline, gets them toContinue reading “Domesticated men”