YouTuber lashes out at critics after wife aborts Down Syndrome baby, calls decision 'beneficial for our family'

Following news of their decision to abort their baby, who shown to have a high likelihood of  Down Syndrome, YouTuber and filmmaker Jesse Ridgway criticized the backlash the couple has received.

Ridgway wrote on Thursday night, "I’ve never seen such hate and vitriol for two people grieving the loss of their unborn child and making an impossible decision. The last 24 hours have exposed a side of humanity that is deeply disturbing. Being called 'murderous pieces of sh*t, evil, compared to Hitler’ and receiving NON-STOP DEATH THREATS."

He later added, "If you ever wanted to marvel at the depravity of people online, just check the replies on my latest tweet. It’s a sh*t-show of epic proportions. This is reflective of the current world and landscape we’re all living in."

He took issue with people who "use God or Jesus as their justification for threatening us and wanting to cast us into Hell…seems pretty hypocritical," and said that many of those saying they could have kept the child or put it up for adoption "don’t even have children, let alone one with a condition and most likely will never do the things they say they’re going to do." He added, "If you can’t contribute anything meaningful to the conversation aside from insults then just don’t post."

He said it was "awesome" seeing stories of parents who did not kill their unborn child who had been diagnosed with Down Syndrome, writing, "Very courageous and they do look very happy! That is your choice and I support it. This was ours and we can do that. It’s very easy to accept the differences between us when it has no actual bearing on your life."

He said what shocked him "the most" was how the story of their abortion went viral despite there being "over 1,000,000 abortions every single year for a myriad of reasons, this is happening on a DAILY BASIS and is the most common outcome for Trisomy 21, yet this one blows up and people are surprised…?"

He said he understood why people do not talk about "these vulnerable experiences publicly because you see the disgusting backlash that ensues," and said this was "exactly why I wanted to share this story. People still need to see vulnerability and hear the raw truth. There is real suffering going on and it is being done in silence and fear."

Speaking with TMZ, Ridgway said, "It has been shocking. Close people to us, very judgmental religiousbase saying we’re gonna burn in hell, you know, we deserve to die, you know," with his wife chiming in, "I don’t deserve to be a mother because of, you know, the decision that we just made."

Ridgway said they had a gate installed and "I have a gun next to my nightstand because it’s been getting so ridiculous that, and they’ve been coming to emails, DMs, you name it. It’s been — we’ve seen the darkest side of humanity through this process."

Ridgway revealed on Wednesday that he and his wife, Ashley, had chosen to kill their unborn child after learning the child had been diagnosed with Trisomy 21, commonly known as Down Syndrome. He said the "choice was not made lightly," and acknowledged that "some of you may be very disappointed to hear this news." He added, "This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley."

He said he was "shocked but optimistic" at first after receiving the diagnosis, but said he later learned of the other health complications that can come alongside the diagnosis. He said, "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 Trisomy 21."