Yesterday, People Magazine posted an article highlighting Olympic medalist Sanya Richards-Ross and her experience with abortion. They write that it was a “decision she says cost her more than a gold medal.”
Ross’s memoir Chasing Grace: What the Quarter Mile Has Taught Me About God and Life was released yesterday. The book discusses her relationship with husband, Aaron Ross, her career, her faith, and her regret related to abortion.
The all-star athlete couple was in the midst of a long engagement when they discovered they were pregnant in 2008. With a wedding set for February of 2010 and dreams of successful athletic careers ahead, the couple thought abortion was their only option.
Ross is quoted in her interview with People as saying,
“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?”
Like many women, Ross didn’t feel like she had a choice. Surrounded by pressures from culture and lies about what success and strength look like, Ross became another victim of the abortion industry.
She describes the emotional pain that followed the procedure:
“I made a decision that broke me, and one from which I would not immediately heal. 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.”
In the midst of the emotional pain following her abortion, Ross participated in the 2008 Olympics and came in third place, despite her dream to come in first.
Although her athletic career quickly took off in the years to follow, the emotional wounds from her abortion took much longer to heal. The couple finally discussed the pain that they had ignored for years and found hope and forgiveness in the grace of God.
The couple announced a new pregnancy back in February, calling it their “biggest blessing yet.”
