A YouTuber and his wife have come under intense criticism for choosing to abort their unborn child because the child had Down’s syndrome.
Jesse Ridgway explained why he and his wife made the decision to end the life of their unborn child, saying that life for someone with Down’s syndrome would be “objectively shitty”, and that they would likely have had to live with various difficulties and disabilities.
“I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family…more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life”, Ridgway claimed.
He continued, stating that although it was “a difficult decision”, the couple believed that it would “in the long-run will be beneficial for our family”.
Ridgway added that he and his wife were “excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome”.
Speaking after his announcement, Ridgway said that he was glad his own father didn’t “terminate” him, before adding, “but I’m normal”.
YouTuber receives intense criticism as a result of ending the unborn child’s life
Many people on social media were horrified by the YouTuber’s post and expressed their shock at this decision.
Megan Basham, journalist and author, said, “Imagine the message you are sending right now to every person with down syndrome around the world. You are telling them that their lives are not worth living. You are telling them that if their existence is an inconvenience for someone else that person should have the right to kill them”.
Kristan Hawkins, President of the pro-life organisation Students for Life, said, “I feel so bad for your child who you killed. He or she didn’t deserve death because they would have had a more challenging life than others. Death was not a cure”.
“To every person who is reading and has Downs, cystic fibrosis, or another potentially fatal genetic disability, I hope you know your life has just as much value as anyone else. Yes, your life will be physically harder but life is always worth living”, she added.
Hedge fund founder Jared Kubin responded by sharing his story of being a parent to a child with Down’s syndrome, saying, “[O]ur son is going to be 8 in the fall. He is perfect. Just hit a homerun the other day… a much better baseball player than I was at his age. My best friend”.
Allie Beth Stuckey, author and commentator, said, “This is really sad. Babies with Down syndrome are no less people – and therefore no less worthy of life – than anyone else”.
Father of seven, Tom Hockel, responded by sharing a post about his sister, who has Down’s syndrome. “She was born on Christmas Day, the youngest of six children. She had Down syndrome. Doctors said she would never amount to much and suggested that she could be aborted or sent away to live in an institution so my parents wouldn’t be burdened. My parents disregarded that advice”, he said.
“She was an accomplished speaker, advocate, and actor. She has an IMDB profile. She graduated with honors from high school and attended college classes. She learned to drive, got married, and lived a full, independent life. She was an inspiration to tens of thousands of people who attended her speeches. She was an incredible daughter, sister, aunt, and wife, and a dear friend to countless people. She passed away recently and left a huge hole in so many people’s lives”, he added.
Abortion numbers reached record high of 299,614 across UK in 2023
Abortion numbers reached a record high in 2023, with an estimated 299,614 abortions taking place across the United Kingdom, according to abortion statistics released by the Department of Health and Social Care earlier this year.
This includes 735 babies with Down’s syndrome, who were aborted in 2023. There were 10 late-term abortions for babies with Down’s syndrome at 24 weeks and over for residents of England and Wales.
Under the Abortion Act 1967, the current abortion limit is 24 weeks, but for cases in which a baby is diagnosed with a disability, including Down’s syndrome, abortion is currently available up to birth.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “It was incredibly saddening to read of this couple’s decision to end the life of their unborn child simply because he or she had Down’s syndrome”.
“People with Down’s syndrome are just as valuable and have just as much of a right to life as anyone else. They can, and do, go on to have full, meaningful lives, as many of the responses to the couple’s announcement show”.
“The responses to this announcement show there is a growing mainstream awareness about people with Down’s syndrome leading happy lives. We hope hearts and minds will be changed, so that people can appreciate how unjust it is to abort children with Down’s syndrome before they have a chance to live outside of the womb”.
