U.S. track superstar & decorated Olympian Sanya Richards-Ross is opening up about her scary decision to have an abortion in her new memoir titled: “Chasing Grace: What The Quarter Mile Has Taught Me About God And Life”.
Here’s an excerpt explaining the choice, and the toll it took on her & her marriage just ahead of competing in the 08′ Olympics in Beijing:
“Everything I ever wanted seemed to be within reach,” she writes. “The culmination of a lifetime of work was right before me. In that moment, it seemed like no choice at all. The debate of when life begins swirled through my head, and the veil of a child out of wedlock at the prime of my career seemed unbearable. What would my sponsors, my family, my church, and my fans think of me?
I made a decision that broke me, and one from which I would not immediately heal,” she writes. “Abortion would now forever be a part of my life. A scarlet letter I never thought I’d wear. I was a champion— and not just an ordinary one, but a world-class, record-breaking champion. From the heights of that reality I fell into a depth of despair.”
The day after the procedure, & against the advice of her doctors she flew to Beijing & began preparation to compete for gold, which she was expected to take.
She placed third in the 300m & ultimately, was crushed.
In a previous interview with ESPN, Richards-Ross explains the reasoning behind revealing something so personal to the world:
“The name of the book is called ‘Chasing Grace.’ Chasing is something I’ve been doing all my life.,” she said. “I’m chasing gold medals; I’m chasing records, and chasing the best version of myself. So, for me, if I didn’t share the toughest moment in my life where I felt God’s grace the most, it would be disingenuous to this journey. I think there are lots of young girls who experience this especially female athletes. I look forward to having more discussions about it and helping young women heal from it.”
The pain from the abortion was much more than physical, as Richards-Ross also touches on how the decision (& reaction from her boyfriend at the time, ex-NFLer Aaron Ross) put serious strains on her relationship:
“I always harbored some resentment toward Ross. It was our mess-up, but I felt abandoned in the decision,” she writes. “It was like by not saying anything, neither agreeing nor opposing, he kept his conscience clear, but it wasn’t fair. We were in it together.”
She adds, “[Ross] explained to me that he was just as burdened by the decision as I was. He believed that our child in 2008 was a blessing we had rejected by always wanting to be in control.”
Despite what can be considered a tremendously rough 2008, Sanya Richards-Ross went on to have one of the best years of her career the next season, winning 2009 IAAF Female Athlete of the Year.
This is a powerful story that will most certainly resonate with many young women around the world who’ve seen Sanya Richards-Ross as someone who might’ve been totally unaware of this side of life they’re going through, yet come to find out she’s gone through the same things.