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Influencer couple speak out after terminating pregnancy due to Down syndrome diagnosis
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A YouTuber and his wife revealed that they chose to terminate their pregnancy after being told that their child would have a genetic condition.
Jesse Ridgway, known online as McJuggerNuggets, has garnered a following online through his skits, vlogs and web series'.
The US influencer is known for sharing aspects of his life with his fans and recently, this included his unborn child's Down syndrome diagnosis.
Ridgway revealed that doctors told him and his wife that their son would have the condition, and as a result, they decided to terminate the pregnancy.
The creator, who has over 4.3 million subscribers on YouTube, said that he hopes that sharing their experience will help other couples in a similar position.
In a video on his personal YouTube channel, he explained the results of an amniocentesis, which is a test for certain genetic abnormalities, chromosomal conditions, and fetal infections; the results were consistent with a Down syndrome diagnosis.
Jesse Ridgway's statement about the termination
After reading out the results of the amniocentesis, the influencer said they considered terminating the pregnancy, adding: “I know this is traumatic for the whole community. Now that we have a definitive result, we’ll talk with the counselors, and we’re gonna have some hard conversations.”
Both he and his wife, Ashley, were emotional and in tears throughout the video, posted last week.
On Wednesday (June 3), Jesse posted a statement on his Instagram story, revealing their decision to terminate the pregnancy.
It read: “This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21," which is another term for Down Syndrome.
While he said the decision was "not made lightly," he thanked fans for their support, adding: “I know some of you may be very disappointed to hear this news. We are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.
“She underwent the procedure earlier this week and is on the mend. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but emotionally we are drained.”
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times this week, he shared that the diagnosis online happened by accident, having spotted the preliminary markers for Trisomy 21 in the middle of their gender reveal video.
He told the publication: “We were filming and ready to celebrate with our audience and we were blindsided.
“What do we tell people? How do we navigate this? I reverted to being honest, and yes, that led us to the last 48 hours.”
Jesse revealed that their DMs were full of messages of support and confessions from others who had done similar; they also received a "tremendous amount of death threats. People saying we’re murderers."
Jesse Ridgway explained their decision
He would post more about their decision, writing: “When I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic. ... I signed on to be a parent, come what may ... but I just didn’t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed.
"Once we made it public, it became clear that MOST people don’t know what Down Syndrome entails (and no, it’s not the same as Autism)."
He then started to post statistics about the genetic condition: “50% of babies with DS have heart defects. 75% will have hearing challenges. Over 50% will have vision problems. Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural issues with face, decreased lifespan, etc."
Ridgway didn't hold back on his assessment of the condition, stating: "Down Syndome isn’t a 'blessing', it is objectively s**t from a health perspective."
He also admitted that they were reluctant to post the video after filming the results of the amniocentesis, as he admitted: “But I kept coming back to, there are so many people out there like us dealing with these things, and nobody’s talking about it.”
Despite not wanting to watch the video back, he said he believes the video will "have a net positive" for others, though he acknowledged that "people are going to cast their judgments."
Ashley had the abortion on Monday, with Ridgwell supporting his wife through the tough time.
“There are a million abortions every year, and I’m just shocked that one couple deciding to abort for Trisomy 21 is mainstream news. This is happening every day, and it’s just not talked about,” he went on.
Statistics from health experts
The National Institutes of Health states that 6,000 babies are born in the US each year with Down Syndrome, affecting about 1 out of every 700 babies.
They note that "With appropriate support and treatment," those with the condition can live happy, productive lives, despite the "lifelong health challenges and risks."
Healthline revealed the statistics behind those who choose to terminate their pregnancy after being given a positive test for Down Syndrome.
They say that almost 100 percent of women in Iceland terminate their pregnancy as a result of this, while Denmark has a 98 percent rate, and the US has a rate of 67 percent.