Internet star couple share video explaining that they terminated pregnancy because fetus had Down syndrome… now they’ve received death threats
A New Jersey-based influencer couple has revealed they are now sleeping to the gun after receiving intense hate for their decision to terminate a pregnancy after being diagnosed with Down syndrome.
Internet stars Jesse Ridgway, 33, and Ashley Ridgway, 31, revealed they had made the ‘difficult decision’ to terminate their pregnancy earlier this week, two months after learning their unborn child had Down syndrome.
“For us, we have made a difficult decision that we believe will benefit our family in the long run,” Jesse wrote in his Instagram Story thread. ‘Luckily we had a choice.’
“It will take some time to get going, but we are excited to try again in the future and hope for a better result,” he added.
Two, just a week ago shared a YouTube video It shows the results of an amniocentesis test, which screens for birth defects and chromosomal conditions.
In the clip, the couple sat on the floor and viewed the test results in real time; This revealed signs consistent with Trisomy 21, medically known as Down syndrome.
Ashley broke down in tears when Jesse revealed that the couple had previously discussed terminating the pregnancy if they were faced with such a scenario, a decision later confirmed on Wednesday.
Jesse posted a series of emotional Instagram stories saying the couple had decided to have an abortion, stating that the decision was ‘not taken lightly’ and was ‘extremely traumatic’.
Internet stars Jesse Ridgway, 33, and Ashley Ridgway, 31, revealed they made the ‘difficult decision’ to terminate their pregnancies earlier this week after being diagnosed with Down syndrome.
Jesse told TMZ Live on Friday that he installed a security gate in his home and now keeps a loaded gun on his bedside table after receiving death threats.
Jesse described the decision as ‘not made lightly’ and ‘extremely traumatic’ on Instagram
“When I first came across this news I was shocked but optimistic,” Jesse wrote. ‘If it slows down a bit intellectually, then we’ll make it work. ‘I signed up to be a parent no matter what… but I didn’t fully understand what Down syndrome entailed.’
The news immediately triggered a wave of online reaction. A day later, the duo revealed that their inboxes were flooded with ‘hate and harsh criticism’ due to their ‘impossible decision’.
Jesse, known online as McJuggerNuggets, said they had been confronted with a ‘deeply disturbing’ side of humanity since sharing about their abortion.
A comment left under the YouTube videos read: ‘Literally the most dystopian and disturbing video I’ve ever seen on YouTube. It’s really bad. Four months.”
‘Hitler thought that disabled people did not deserve to live either!!! “You should be neutered,” said another.
Another person wrote: ‘You all talked about seeing the darkest side of humanity. These are not the people watching your videos. It’s you bro. And you can’t even see it.”
However, the majority said they found it ‘disturbing’ and ‘dystopian’ to share a video announcing abortion while profiting from the content.
‘This is disturbing. ‘The decision to terminate the pregnancy itself is terrible, but announcing it to the world is deeply disturbing,’ read one of the comments.
Another said: ‘Announcing that you will end the life of your unborn child while making money is evil.’
‘Note that we also had this video edited and reviewed before clicking post. “Zero shame,” one user wrote, while another added: “Some things don’t need to be filmed.”
Jesse said on Instagram Stories that he had never seen so much ‘hate and insults’, including death threats, towards two people who were grieving the loss of their unborn child.
‘The last 24 hours have revealed a deeply disturbing aspect of humanity. The YouTuber wrote that he has been called “evil, murderous assholes compared to Hitler” and has received NON-STOP DEATH THREATS.
“To see my 6-year-old dog with Stage 4 Kidney Disease used as a weapon, to manipulate my words and intentions in a tweet, or to say that we will regret this decision forever and need to repent to God is pure insanity,” he added.
‘What’s even more disturbing is that so many of these people use God or Jesus as justification for threatening us and wanting to throw us into Hell… it seems pretty hypocritical.’
Jesse said TMZ Live He said he installed a security gate in his home on Friday and now keeps a loaded gun on his bedside table after receiving death threats.
According to her posts, she said that her decision to share her experiences came from confronting the issue.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the couple for comment.
