Warning: This article contains expletives and offensive language.
YouTube personality Jesse Ridgway is doubling down on his and his wife Ashley’s decision to abort their unborn son after learning he had Down syndrome, blasting critics who condemned the couple and accusing “very devout religious people” of directing “hate” toward them.
Ridgway addressed the controversy in a video posted last week, roughly three months after the couple revealed earlier this year that they had aborted their unborn child following a diagnosis of Trisomy 21, the chromosomal condition that causes Down syndrome.
Ridgway acknowledged that he had “been pretty much laying low because I’ve had to just for mental reasons, emotional … you name it.
“I’ve had it up to here with people’s actions,” he said. “Actually, no real actions. It’s mostly just been words.”
Ridgway recalled that he and Ashley had announced their pregnancy earlier this year and were “super excited” to be expecting a baby boy. That changed after what he described as a “definitive diagnostic tool” indicated that their unborn child had Down syndrome.
“Our hearts broke,” Ridgway said.
He pointed to potential health complications associated with Down syndrome, including “heart abnormalities, vision issues” and hearing problems, as well as developmental disabilities. Although the couple initially planned to continue the pregnancy, Ridgway said he began researching what life with Down syndrome could look like for the child and the rest of the family.
“I just did not fully comprehend just how much health turmoil there would be,” he said. Ridgway then said he had rejected what he described as the tendency to “glamorize” Down syndrome by calling it “a blessing.”
While acknowledging that many parents choose to have children with Down syndrome and “make it work,” Ridgway said his research ultimately led him to conclude that continuing the pregnancy “just didn’t seem right.”
“If you’re having a child, you want the absolute best for them. You want to feel like the future is bright for your family. You want to set them up for the best life possible. And it just felt like when you’re dealt with that, it’s a losing hand,” he said.
Ridgway also praised the availability of genetic screening, arguing that it allows parents to “catch abnormalities before they really manifest and detrimentally change your life forever” and gives them an opportunity to “start over.”
At the same time, he acknowledged that the decision was emotionally difficult, particularly because the couple had publicly shared their excitement about the pregnancy.
The decision sparked widespread backlash, including criticism from religious and pro-life voices.
Ridgway accused “very devout religious people” of directing “hate” toward him and Ashley, including telling him that he was “going to Hell.” He said he never expected their decision to have such a significant impact online.
“It was just Hell,” Ridgway said. “It was one of the most disappointing/depressing/infuriating windows of my life thus far because we really … wanted this to work.”
He then directed a profane message at critics who condemned the couple’s decision.
Warning: This article contains expletives and offensive language.
“It’s not your f–ing kid, losers. It’s not your kid. You’re not going to be paying the bills. You’re not going to be doing f–ing anything,” Ridgway said. “Like, you all hate influencers and whatever anyway, clearly. Like, shut the f—- up.”
“If you want to keep your child with developmental issues, go for it,” he added. “By all means, that’s fine. That’s your choice. But we can have our choice. It’s not that complicated.”
Ridgway continued with the expletive-laden rant, telling his critics to “s— my d—.”
Much of the remainder of the video focused on his response to specific critics, including other YouTube personalities.
One critic accused Ridgway of attempting to monetize his wife’s abortion, prompting Ridgway to tell the critic to “go f— themselves.”
Another critic described the abortion as “eugenics” and “evil” while highlighting the couple’s wealth and arguing that raising a child with Down syndrome wouldn’t have imposed a significant financial burden on them.
Another commenter contrasted Ridgway’s efforts to care for his dog, who has kidney disease, with his decision to end the pregnancy.
Ridgway has continued to defend the couple’s decision despite the backlash.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
