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\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Jesse Ridgway<\/strong><\/a> and wife Ashley <\/strong>are opening up about why they decided to terminate their pregnancy.<\/p>\n Back in March, the 33-year-old YouTuber, who posts under the name \u201cMcJuggerNuggets,\u201d announced that his wife, 31, was pregnant.<\/p>\n In a series of Instagram Stories<\/a> posted on June 3, the couple shared that they recently made the \u201cdifficult decision\u201d to end Ashley<\/strong>\u2018s pregnancy after receiving a fetal Down syndrome diagnosis.<\/p>\n \u201cThis week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21,\u201d Jesse<\/strong> wrote. Trisomy 21 is another name for Down syndrome. \u201cThe choice was not made lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n Jesse<\/strong> acknowledged that some of their fans might be \u201cvery disappointed\u201d to hear that Ashley got an abortion, and said that the experience has been \u201cextremely traumatic.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic,\u201d Jesse<\/strong> wrote. \u201cIf they\u2019re a little slow intellectually, then we\u2019ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, come what may\u2026but I just didn\u2019t fully understand what Down syndrome entailed.\u201d<\/p>\n He went on to list some of the health risks that can be associated with Down syndrome, including heart defects, hearing challenges, and delayed physical development.<\/p>\n \u201cDown Syndrome isn\u2019t a \u2018blessing,\u2019 it is objectively s\u2014ty from a health perspective,\u201d Jesse <\/strong>claimed. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family\u2026more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.\u201d<\/p>\n The YouTuber said that he and Ashley<\/strong> spoke with friends, family, doctors, and genetic counselors before making their decision, and claimed that 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Down syndrome. According to Healthline<\/a>, that number in the United States is 67%.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was WAY higher than I expected, I thought it would be lower given I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby,\u201d Jesse<\/strong> continued. \u201cI believe that\u2019s because most terminations happen privately [and] it feels shameful. A lot of judgement being cast.\u201d<\/p>\n Jesse<\/strong> then directly addressed his friends who have autism or Down syndrome and have weighed in on their decision, saying that they \u201cappreciate\u201d them.<\/p>\n \u201cYou matter a lot and we\u2019re glad you\u2019re here,\u201d he said. \u201cI commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice,\u201d Jesse<\/strong> concluded. \u201cIt will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n Posted To:Ashley Ridgway<\/a> Jesse Ridgway<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ridgway-abortion.jpg\")
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