Sanya Richards-Ross Reveals Having an Abortion A Day Before The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China in her new memoir.
F ive-time Olympic medalist Sanya Richards-Ross reveals in her new memoir that she had an abortion a day before leaving for Beijing, China, to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
Chasing Grace: What the Quarter Mile Has Taught Me About God and Life was released on Tuesday and delves into Richards-Ross’ faith, her career as a runner and her romance with Aaron Ross, 34, a cornerback for the New York Giants.
It also talks about her decision to terminate her pregnancy, a decision that between about one in four American women make, according to the most recent statistics.
In 2008, the couple was engaged and planned to marry in February 2010. She was 23 at the time, and he 25. The pregnancy was unexpected, and Richards-Ross wanted Olympic gold.
“ 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? ”
“ It was the toughest choice of my life, ” she said Tuesday to TMZ.
