YouTuber whose wife aborted Down Syndrome baby says he's happy he wasn't aborted: 'I'm normal'

In a recent livestream, YouTuber Jesse Ridgway, who has come under fire for his and his wife’s decision to abort their baby who would likely be born with Down Syndrome, said he was glad he wasn’t aborted. 

"I'm glad my dad didn't f***ing terminate me, but I'm normal," Ridgway told viewers. 

Ridgway revealed earlier in June that he and his wife, Ashley, had made the decision to abort their child after receiving testing results that revealed their baby would likely be born with Trisomy 21, commonly known as Down Syndrome. Ridgway said, "This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley."

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

In the wake of the announcement, the couple received backlash for their decision to abort the child. He issued a statement, saying "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 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…?"