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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21,\u201d the internet personality wrote via his Instagram Stories on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Trisomy 21 is also known as Down syndrome, \u201ca genetic condition where a person is born with an extra chromosome,\u201d per the CDC. <\/a><\/p>\n YouTuber Jesse Ridgway and his wife, Ashley (both seen here), announced they decided to terminate their pregnancy after learning their baby had a high chance of being born with Down syndrome. Instagram\/@mcjuggernuggets<\/p>\n \u201cThis week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21,\u201d Ridgway wrote on his Instagram Stories Wednesday. Instagram\/@mcjuggernuggets<\/p>\n \u201cThe choice was not made lightly,\u201d Ridgway continued. \u201cWe are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.\u201d <\/p>\n Ridgway shared that Ashley underwent the \u201cprocedure earlier this week\u201d and \u201ceverything went smoothly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut emotionally, we are drained,\u201d he continued. <\/p>\n \u201cThe choice was not made lightly,\u201d the media personality added. Instagram\/@mcjuggernuggets<\/p>\n \u201cWe are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley,\u201d Ridgway continued. Instagram\/@mcjuggernuggets<\/p>\n Ridgway explained that the \u201codds of a baby\u201d with Trisomy 21 are \u201c1 in 1000,\u201d stating, \u201cWhen I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cIf they\u2019re a little slow intellectually, then we\u2019ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, come what may,\u201d he wrote. \u201cBut I just didn\u2019t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed.\u201d <\/p>\n In a separate slide, Ridgway detailed the health risks associated with Down syndrome, including decreased lifespan, impaired immune function and poor muscle tone.<\/p>\n \u201cDown Syndrome isn\u2019t a \u2018blessing,\u2019 it is objectively s\u2013tty from a health perspective,\u201d\u00a0he added. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family \u2026 more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.\u201d<\/p>\n Ashley (seen above) underwent the procedure earlier this week, according to Ridgway. Instagram\/@mcjuggernuggets<\/p>\n Ridgway explained that everything went \u201csmoothly\u201d but that he and Ashley were \u201cemotionally\u201d drained. Instagram\/@mcjuggernuggets<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tWant more celebrity and pop culture news?\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with Page Six Daily.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Before terminating the pregnancy, Ridgway explained he and Ashley \u201cspoke with doctors, friends, family and genetic counselors\u201d who told them that \u201cup to 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Trisomy 21.\u201d <\/p>\n Healthline, however, cites figures<\/a> of 67 percent of women in the US, 77 percent in France and 98 percent in Denmark.<\/p>\n Ridgway stated the figure was \u201cWAY higher\u201d than he expected, saying, \u201cI believe that\u2019s because most terminations happen privately [and] it feels shameful. A lot of judgement being cast.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou never think you\u2019d be in this type of situation until it happens to you and then things change,\u201d he wrote. <\/p>\n Ridgway admitted that fans might be disappointed and addressed those who have Down syndrome or autism, telling them, \u201cYou matter a lot and we\u2019re glad you\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n The couple (seen above) announced their pregnancy in March. Instagram\/@mcjuggernuggets<\/p>\n They received the diagnosis a month later. Seen here: Jesse Ridgway and Ashley. Instagram\/@mcjuggernuggets<\/p>\n \u201cI commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ridgway and Ashley\u2019s announcement comes after they revealed via Instagram<\/a> that they were expecting a child together in March.<\/p>\n The following month, <\/a>the duo, who wed in October 2025, announced their baby <\/a>had a 95 percent chance of being born with Down syndrome, referring to it as a \u201cgut punch.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t