YouTuber Jesse Ridgway and his wife, Ashley, revealed they decided to terminate their pregnancy after learning their baby had a high chance of being born with Down syndrome.
“This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21,” the internet personality wrote via his Instagram Stories on Wednesday.
Trisomy 21 is also known as Down syndrome, “a genetic condition where a person is born with an extra chromosome,” per the CDC.
“The choice was not made lightly,” Ridgway continued. “We are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.”
Ridgway shared that Ashley underwent the “procedure earlier this week” and “everything went smoothly.”
“But emotionally, we are drained,” he continued.
Ridgway explained that the “odds of a baby” with Trisomy 21 are “1 in 1000,” stating, “When I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic.”
“If they’re a little slow intellectually, then we’ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, come what may,” he wrote. “But I just didn’t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed.”
In a separate slide, Ridgway detailed the health risks associated with Down syndrome, including decreased lifespan, impaired immune function and poor muscle tone.
“Down Syndrome isn’t a ‘blessing,’ it is objectively s–tty from a health perspective,” he added. “I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family … more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.”
Before terminating the pregnancy, Ridgway explained he and Ashley “spoke with doctors, friends, family and genetic counselors” who told them that “up to 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Trisomy 21.”
Healthline, however, cites figures of 67 percent of women in the US, 77 percent in France and 98 percent in Denmark.
Ridgway stated the figure was “WAY higher” than he expected, saying, “I believe that’s because most terminations happen privately [and] it feels shameful. A lot of judgement being cast.”
“You never think you’d be in this type of situation until it happens to you and then things change,” he wrote.
Ridgway admitted that fans might be disappointed and addressed those who have Down syndrome or autism, telling them, “You matter a lot and we’re glad you’re here.”
“I commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward,” he said.
Ridgway and Ashley’s announcement comes after they revealed via Instagram that they were expecting a child together in March.
The following month, the duo, who wed in October 2025, announced their baby had a 95 percent chance of being born with Down syndrome, referring to it as a “gut punch.”
