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A couple reflects on their decision to end a pregnancy

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's Friday, which is when we hear from StoryCorps. And today, we meet a couple who want to talk about something they've never shared before.

TOM PETERS: We were going to talk about a secret we have.

JOAN PETERS: Yeah. We were going to have a baby, and we decided not to.

INSKEEP: Tom and JoAn Peters first met in Los Angeles in 1999. They fell in love, and a couple of years later, JoAn got pregnant. Tom asked her to marry him.

J PETERS: I was sitting on the couch, and I remember asking you if you were marrying me because you loved me and you wanted to be married or if you were marrying me because it's the right thing to do. And you said you were marrying me because it was the right thing to do. I was sobbing. And I said, well, then I don't want to get married, and I don't want to have this baby. My fear was you'd grow to resent us. A couple of things that stand out in my memory about the day of the abortion - you took very good care of me that day. You really nurtured me during that time. But I don't remember doing that for you. I never asked you how you felt about it.

T PETERS: I think at the time, I was trying to get through the procedure itself and keep you safe.

J PETERS: I never questioned our decision. I never regretted it. I didn't want my child to ever say, why isn't my father here?

T PETERS: But then you said, come back to me when you're ready to get married and have a child.

J PETERS: Yes.

T PETERS: And I ran for the hills back to single life, spent a year and a half dating other women, but couldn't get you out of my mind. And what flashed in my mind at that time was I was ready.

J PETERS: We got married, and then we found out what I thought was a cold hanging on for dear life was actually a pregnancy. And Ellie (ph) came into the world, the most perfect baby that anyone could ever ask for. I can't get enough of the two of you together. You love her, and it shows. And she adores you. You're everything I wanted. And she is, too.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

INSKEEP: JoAn and Tom Peters in Santa Monica, Calif. Their daughter, Ellie, is now 17. This weekend marks 50 years since the Supreme Court ruled on Rowe v. Wade, the decision that made abortion a constitutional right until it was overturned last summer. This interview will be archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.