Jesse Ridgway Faces Backlash Over Down Syndrome Abortion as Critics Cite 60-Year Life Expectancy
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 8
Jesse Ridgway Faces Backlash Over Down Syndrome Abortion as Critics Cite 60-Year Life Expectancy
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 8
Summary
Jesse Ridgway and his wife drew widespread backlash after saying last week they terminated a pregnancy following a Trisomy 21 diagnosis for their unborn son.
Lila Rose of Live Action said the reaction shows Americans reject treating disability as grounds for abortion, calling the second-trimester procedure an act of eugenics.
Rose argued children with Down syndrome are "precious and valuable," noting average life expectancy has risen to 60 years as medical advances improved quality of life.
The criticism spread beyond anti-abortion activists to prominent conservatives including House Speaker Mike Johnson, Abby Johnson and Federalist editor Mollie Hemingway, pushing the online controversy into a broader abortion-rights debate.