They Used Their Platform to End Life. I’m Using Mine to Defend It.
The Ridgways' public abortion announcement demands a response from those of us connected to the Down syndrome community.
When Ashley Ridgway, wife of the actor and social media influencer Jesse Ridgway, was four months pregnant, her husband livestreamed the moment they learned their baby had Down syndrome (DS). Days later, he announced on X that they'd aborted their baby. He called it a choice they were “thankful to have.”
Their baby didn’t have that same choice.
Ridgway achieved celebrity status from YouTube projects called Psycho Series and The Devil Inside. How ironic.
The backlash was swift. For those of us who have loved someone with Down syndrome, silence wasn’t an option. What the Ridgways did by broadcasting the termination of their child’s life for clicks and attention is abhorrent.
During the livestream, Jesse explained that when his wife had the amniocentesis, the doctor stuck the needle into her abdomen and “the baby actually rolled over into the needle.”
Even in the womb a baby can feel pain. The Ridgways’ baby was at least 16 weeks old. His or her eyes would have been developed and moving, and his or her ears would have been nearly fully developed. The baby's bones would have hardened and the organs, nerves and muscles functional.
Yet that development all ended in a moment.
Just days after they received the amniocentesis results, Jesse posted on X that Ashley aborted the baby because they didn’t want to deal with medical problems associated with DS.
This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21.
— Jesse Ridgway (@McJuggerNuggets) June 3, 2026
The choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans…
Jesse claimed that 90 percent of women who are told their child has DS decide to end the life of the baby. He went on to say, “thankfully we had a choice.” Unfortunately, their baby didn’t have a choice whether to live or die.
Author and journalist Megan Basham was one of the first to reply,
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…
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) June 4, 2026
Another commenter wasn’t as kind as Basham: “What kind of sick degenerate posts something like this?”
Just days before Ridgway’s announcement that his wife aborted their baby, he posted on social media that his dog with stage 4 kidney disease was still with them. One user pointed out the irony, “You killed your unborn baby because of T21 [another term for DS] but are choosing to keep a dog with no kidneys alive?”
You killed your unborn baby because of T21 but are choosing to keep a dog with no kidneys alive?
— O.Shane (@oshane) June 4, 2026
Your priorities and actions are reprehensible. The blood of your child will cry out from the ground to the Most High God of the universe for justice. pic.twitter.com/S4VlCyrGem
The Ridgways’ public pronouncement of the execution of their child is pure evil. Yet Jesse now claims to be the victim because he is being called names. The day after his post he said, “There has been some heinous s*#t said about my wife and I on some extremely large accounts . . . It baffles me that there are such trashy-ass people who have significant followings.”
It baffles me that someone with “significant followings” publicly proclaims they killed their child and then seeks sympathy.
People with Down Syndrome are a Blessing
When I was pregnant with my youngest son, the doctor saw an anomaly on the ultrasound. He told me it could be indicative of Down syndrome. While I now know it's likely not hereditary, at the time I believed my family history could contribute to having a son with DS.
At the time, my physician pushed me to have an amniocentesis to further determine my baby’s health. I told him I would consider it. The nurse pushed me for an answer and at first, I didn’t understand the urgency. Then I realized they wanted me to consider an abortion. After explaining to them that I would never kill my baby, they backed off. I didn’t get an amniocentesis because it carried a risk of harm to my baby. My son was born perfectly healthy.
How many women have been told the same thing by a doctor but made a different decision than I did?
My Uncle Dave—my father’s brother, and the youngest of my grandmother’s eight children—had DS. He and Grandma lived next door to us when I was growing up. She was a widow twice-over, so our family helped look after them both. Despite the years between us, I was close to Dave growing up. After Grandma passed and my parents got older, I took on a guardianship role for Dave. He was non-verbal but that never stopped him from blessing others.
When we went on outings, I would have to budget extra time because Dave had to stop and greet everyone we passed—he would wrap his arms around anyone willing, and he brightened everyone’s day causing smiles everywhere he went. He wasn’t a burden; he was a gift and a blessing.
Image credit: Victoria Manning
Over the years, I’ve been blessed to know many folks with Down syndrome. Never have their parents ever said they regret not having an abortion—even with children who have severe medical issues. It may not always be easy, but many things in life aren’t easy.
It’s concerning that we’ve come to a place in our nation where people yearn for attention so much that they publicize killing their child for the world to see.
We cannot stay silent while people with Down syndrome are treated as problems to be solved before they draw their first breath. They deserve advocates. I pray that the Ridgeways come to know Jesus and that they seek forgiveness and use their platform to save lives, not end them.
FIGHTING FOR LIFE:
VICTORIA MANNING: Restoration In the News: Vicky Manning on the John Reid Podcast
IN THE COURTS: Lawsuit Challenges Virginia’s Abortion Amendment as Deceptive
ABORTION PILL: Trump Broke with Biden on Everything—Except Killing Babies by Mail. Why?
HIDDEN THREAT: Abortion Pillution: The Environmental Cost of Abortion by Mail
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