Jesse Ridgway speaks out on death threats after ending pregnancy due to Down syndrome
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YouTuber Jesse Ridgway and his wife, Ashley, shared that they terminated their pregnancy following a Down syndrome diagnosis.What happened online afterward has shocked the couple, but Jesse said he is hopeful that sharing their experience may help other couples feel less alone.
The YouTuber, who’s been a content creator for 20 years and has more than 4.3 million subscribers on his main channel, shared a video on his personal YouTube channel last week that featured he and his wife receiving the results of an amniocentesis — a test for certain genetic abnormalities, chromosomal conditions, and fetal infections — and the results were consistent with Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome.After the couple read the results, Jesse said that they’d discussed beforehand whether they’d consider terminating the pregnancy.
“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,” he said.
Both Jesse and Ashley were emotionally distraught and crying throughout the video.Jesse told The Times over a phone call on Thursday evening, with Ashley beside him as she recovered from her procedure, that sharing the diagnosis online happened accidentally.The couple was in the middle of a gender reveal video when they spotted the preliminary markers for Trisomy 21 on the same report.
Music At 22, Malcolm Todd wants to make music that reflects him and his journey.Charting songs and sold-out concerts are just the cherry on top.“We were filming and ready to celebrate with our audience and we were blindsided,” he said.
“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.”On Wednesday, Jesse posted a lengthy statement that disclosed the couple’s decision to terminate the pregnancy.Ashley reposted the statement to...