{"id":2613690,"date":"2026-06-13T06:16:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T10:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/support-for-down-syndrome-children-surges-in-wake-of-influencers-abortion-post\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T06:16:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T10:16:01","slug":"support-for-down-syndrome-children-surges-in-wake-of-influencers-abortion-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/support-for-down-syndrome-children-surges-in-wake-of-influencers-abortion-post\/","title":{"rendered":"Support for Down Syndrome Children Surges in Wake of Influencer&#8217;s Abortion Post"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsupport-for-down-syndrome-children-surges-in-wake-of-influencers-abortion-post%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2613690&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A vigorous public debate over the value of those with Down syndrome has been renewed after a popular online influencer announced on Wednesday that he and his wife had decided to abort their unborn child after learning through a prenatal test that the baby may have had Trisomy 21.<\/p>\n<p>In an <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/McJuggerNuggets\/status\/2062315803177881822\">X post<\/a> that has garnered almost 20 million views and 15,800 replies, Jesse Ridgway (known as \u201cMcJuggerNuggets\u201d) related that he and his wife\u2019s decision to go through with an abortion after learning from an amniocentesis test that their unborn child likely has Down syndrome was \u201cvery difficult\u201d and \u201cwas not made lightly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ridgway cited numerous health challenges that people with Down syndrome experience, including heart defects, hearing problems, impaired immune systems, and more. He also noted that 90 percent of pregnant women who learn that their child may have Trisomy 21 go through with an abortion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo all of my fans who have weighed in on this topic who have Autism, Down Syndrome or any other conditions\u2026 we appreciate you,\u201d Ridgway wrote. \u201cYou matter a lot and we\u2019re glad you\u2019re here. I commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward. As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The post has received strong pushback, with hundreds of replies describing the joy and love that their family members with Down syndrome have brought to their families.<\/p>\n<p>One user named Dave Bruno wrote about his three-year-old son Josh who has Down syndrome. \u201cSome of the complications we feared happened, but that wasn\u2019t the end of the story. Josh was born early and spent a month in the hospital. At 1 year old, he had open-heart surgery. Now he\u2019s 3, loves life, and is thriving. The hard days didn\u2019t win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf anyone else finds themselves in a similar place, reach out,\u201d Bruno added. \u201cThere\u2019s a whole community of people here to support you. It hasn\u2019t always been easy, but he\u2019s worth every bit of it and then some.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Beverly Hallberg, the president of the District Media Group, also responded, sharing, \u201cMy cousin David has faced some health challenges, but that\u2019s never negated the joy and positive impact he brings to everyone around him. In fact, his 40th birthday party had more than 200 people because he\u2019s THAT loved because he\u2019s loved well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Others, like NewsNation contributor Jennifer Coffindaffer, d her experience of getting a false positive for Trisomy 21 when she was pregnant with her daughter. \u201cMy husband and I discussed it for about 2 minutes,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are Catholic, so there was no consideration to abort her. We just knew our lives would change. We bought books, spoke to parents of Down syndrome children, and prayed. When she was born, she did not have Down syndrome, to our surprise. The test was wrong. Tests are often wrong, we later learned. In fact, 10% of positive NIPT results for Down syndrome <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vinmec.com\/eng\/blog\/causes-of-false-positive-and-false-negative-results-of-the-nipt-test-en\">are false positives<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The debate also captured the attention of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). \u201cThis is directly tied to the celebration we\u2019ll have of our nation on July 4th,\u201d he contended during \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thisweekoncapitolhill.com\/recapping-a-wild-week-of-primary-results-and-a-proposed-new-policy-for-u-s-israel-relations\">This Week on Capitol Hill<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are dedicated to the proposition that we are all created by God. We\u2019re made in his image. We all have inestimable dignity and value, and every unborn child is worth fighting for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[I]t\u2019s\u00a0what separates Western civilization from ideologies like Marxism that don\u2019t really value life because they don\u2019t recognize the existence of a creator who gives us life and the rights that we have,\u201d Johnson added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat philosophy follows government. Government is the god and therefore no one has inherent value. You\u2019re just another social animal. You\u2019re part of the herd that has to be directed and dictated to. That\u2019s not what we stand for in America. It\u2019s the reason we\u2019re the most exceptional, greatest nation in the history of the world, because we\u2019re founded on this creed that\u2019s listed right there in the nation\u2019s birth certificate, right in the second paragraph. So [it\u2019s] self-evident truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The viral debate over Down syndrome comes on the heels of an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/down-syndrome-iceland\/\">explosive report<\/a> published in 2017 by CBS News, which revealed that in the country of Iceland, almost 100% of babies who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome are aborted. Other European countries like Denmark and the U.K. also have abortion rates in the 90th percentile for babies with Down syndrome.<\/p>\n<p>The report sparked a worldwide discussion on the dignity and value of the six million people around the world who have Down syndrome. Bioethicists decried the reports, with Emory University\u2019s Rosemarie Garland-Thomson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2024-05-01\/iceland-prenatal-testing-down-syndrome-ethics\/103781058\">emphasizing<\/a> that such widespread abortion targeting a specific demographic amounts to eugenics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause the human characteristics that we think of as [related to] Down syndrome are largely identified as undesirable characteristics\u2026 it becomes logical to eliminate the so-called disease that is Down syndrome, and with it, the persons get eliminated,\u201d she pointed out. \u201cThis is what makes, in my view and in many people\u2019s views, the health initiative of eliminating Down syndrome\u2026 unethical and eugenic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Experts like Mary Szoch, who serves as director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council, concur, saying that Ridgway and his wife\u2019s tragic decision is indicative of a culture that has lost its ability to authentically love and protect the innocent as it attempts to shun any possibility of discomfort or suffering.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery human life has value beyond measure,\u201d she told The Washington Stand. \u201cThis value is innate. It doesn\u2019t rely on superficial traits a person might have, such as athletic ability or good looks. It doesn\u2019t rely on good traits that we all should aspire to possess like a kind heart or a courageous spirt. No, each person has value simply because each person is willed into existence by our Creator, and above all other creatures, God made man very good. A society that places a person\u2019s value on anything other than that person\u2019s being is one that has accepted eugenics and rejected the call of the strong to protect and defend the vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Szoch continued, \u201cEugenic-based abortions, which \u2014 like every other abortion \u2014 tragically and often brutally kill a completely innocent unborn child, are the antithesis of what is required of a loving mom and dad. The duty of parents to love their children unconditionally does not stop with a diagnosis that predicts a likelihood of suffering. After all, every life involves suffering, but every life \u2014 especially the lives of those with chromosomal anomalies \u2014 also involves joy. Babies who are prenatally diagnosed with a genetic anomaly face an uphill battle against a culture that has decided they are not good enough. These babies need someone to fight for them, and at the top of the list of people in their corner should be their moms and dads. If these babies are just given a chance to live, the innate goodness of each one will be readily apparent to anyone who encounters them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy older sister has a chromosomal anomaly very similar to Down syndrome,\u201d Szoch related.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis genetic condition makes some things difficult or even impossible for her \u2014 like tying her shoes, adding numbers beyond 2 and 2, walking on an uneven sidewalk, or brushing her hair. But that extra piece of chromosome seems to have contained an extra ability to love beyond measure, to forgive any wrong, to be excited beyond compare, and to constantly hope for a better tomorrow. Anyone who has met her knows she\u2019s not just a \u2018blessing,\u2019 she\u2019s the greatest blessing my family could have ever been given.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><em>Dan Hart is senior editor at The Washington Stand.<\/em><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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In an X post that has<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2613691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_9280.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2613690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_9280.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2613690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2613691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2613690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2613690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2613690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}