YouTuber who broadcast decision to abort pregnancy over Down syndrome diagnosis reveals shocking lack of humanity

Rachel Campos Duffy — whose perpetually smiley 6-year-old, Valentina, has Down syndrome — told me recently that people with the congenital condition aren’t nearly as visible as they once were.A grim number explains their relative disappearance.“You know, up to 90% of people with Down Syndrome are being aborted,” the mother-of-nine said during an interview last month just ahead of Mother’s Day.“It’s really tragic how genetic testing has caused their demise.”Campos-Duffy’s words hit me hard last week after a Youtuber with 4.3 million subscribers announced that he and his wife decided to terminate a pregnancy because it was likely the baby would be born with Down syndrome.Jesse Ridgway, who posts on YouTube under the very respectable name McJuggerNuggets, shared a long thread on X explaining why they aborted their future son — a baby who would surely have arrived into this world with his own set of challenges, but his own unique sense of joy.“We spoke with doctors, friends, family and genetic counselors and learned that up to 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has [the chromosomal anomaly] Trisomy 21,” he wrote, essentially justifying his decision to participate in eugenics.“It will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome,” Ridgway added, speaking about a new baby the way one would an SAT score.But fear not.

He doesn’t think poorly of people with disabilities.“To all of my fans who have weighed in on this topic who have Autism, Down Syndrome or any other conditions … we appreciate you.You matter a lot and we’re glad you’re here,” he wrote.Just not in his house, I guess.Ridgway’s disgusting announcement sparked a massive reaction and debate online.

Many people raising children with disabilities flooded his tweet with photos of beloved family members, describing the unconditional love and joy they bring to the world.It was as...