a Sophie's choice

An extremely difficult choice between two or more things one considers to be equally valuable, important, or essential. A reference to the 1979 novel Sophie's Choice, in which the title character was forced by a doctor at the Auschwitz concentration camp to choose which of her two young children would be killed. The governor has explained that there is only enough budget to continue one of the two life-saving services for homeless citizens, and thus a Sophie's choice must be made as to which one will remain operational. We were left with a Sophie's choice—either accept the terms of the contract and be happy we got paid, or demand more equitable treatment and risk getting nothing at all. When my parents divorced, I was tasked with picking one to live with. That painful Sophie's choice left our family deeply divided for years.