By New York Post (Opinion) | Created at 2026-06-08 23:46:10 | Updated at 2026-06-09 05:32:13
6 hours ago
Rachel Campos Duffy — whose perpetually smiley 6-year-old, Valentina, has Down syndrome — told me recently that people with the congenital condition aren’t nearly as visible as they once were.
A grim number explains their relative disappearance.
“You know, up to 90% of people with Down Syndrome are being aborted,” the mother-of-nine said during an interview last month just ahead of Mother’s Day. “It’s really tragic how genetic testing has caused their demise.”
Campos-Duffy’s words hit me hard last week after a Youtuber with 4.3 million subscribers announced that he and his wife decided to terminate a pregnancy because it was likely the baby would be born with Down syndrome.
Jesse Ridgway, who posts on YouTube under the very respectable name McJuggerNuggets, shared a long thread on X explaining why they aborted their future son — a baby who would surely have arrived into this world with his own set of challenges, but his own unique sense of joy.
“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 [the chromosomal anomaly] Trisomy 21,” he wrote, essentially justifying his decision to participate in eugenics.
“It will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome,” Ridgway added, speaking about a new baby the way one would an SAT score.
But fear not. He doesn’t think poorly of people with disabilities.
“To all of my fans who have weighed in on this topic who have Autism, Down Syndrome or any other conditions … we appreciate you. You matter a lot and we’re glad you’re here,” he wrote.
Just not in his house, I guess.
Ridgway’s disgusting announcement sparked a massive reaction and debate online. Many people raising children with disabilities flooded his tweet with photos of beloved family members, describing the unconditional love and joy they bring to the world.
It was as much an affirmation of their worth and right to life as it was a condemnation of Ridgway’s casual cruelty.
He claimed to be absolutely shocked by the response — perhaps a reflection of how indifferent we have become toward other humans.
“…I realized that more than likely I will have to bury my son, that is not what I wanted to sign up for,” Ridgway told Page Six. “I want my kids to outlive me and to be fully functional and be able to live a good life.”
Of course, that’s what we’d all want for all children: to be perfect, healthy and to outlive us.
But that’s not life. You cannot sketch it on a pad and engineer it to your specifications to avoid complications or speed bumps.
Ridgway claimed he hoped to destigmatize the act — but he only highlighted the need for more stigma in our society.
When your life is based on clicks and likes, you detach real meaning from it. If a baby isn’t perfect for your camera-ready existence or optimized lifestyle, perhaps you need to evaluate your own values. Or keep your callousness to yourself.
Some people have called BS on this whole story, saying it was a ploy to whip people into a frenzy and, therefore, monetize a controversial topic. Either way, it shows a terrible disregard for a vulnerable population.
Conservative writer George Will said it best in a 2012 essay about his son Jon, who was turning 40. At the time of Jon’s birth, it was more common for parents to give children with Down syndrome up for adoption or send them to live in an institution. For Will and his then-wife, there was never a choice. Jon was their son. He was going home with them.
But Will reflected on how prenatal testing was leading to that horrific 90% abortion rate, calling it, “unfortunate, and not just for them. Judging by Jon, the world would be improved by more people with Down syndrome, who are quite nice, as humans go.”
The evidence is all over social media, where many creators share their lives with their special needs children or adult siblings, including @Sarah_Carolyn, whose sister Emily has Down syndrome. They have more than 963,000 followers tuned into Emily’s withering insults — which are so sharp, she should be on the next Netflix roast.
The more counter-programming, the better to flush out the Ridgways and highlight the Wills, the Duffys and the comedy of Shane Gillis, whose niece and Uncle Danny (renowned for sneaking homemade grilled cheese into restaurants) also have Down syndrome.
In one poignant bit, the comedian mocks how uncomfortable people with the normal number of chromosomes can be around those with special needs — asking sheepishly if they are OK, despite themselves being jacked up on antidepressants and other substances.
“They’re doing better than everybody I know,” Gillis said.
Especially one YouTuber we all now know.
