Note from The Tennessee Conservative: Editorial statements in this column are the sole opinion of the author; they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire staff of this publication.
By Olivia Lupia –
At the end of last week, the cybersphere was ablaze over a viral post from a social media influencer discussing his and his wife’s decision to “terminate” their pregnancy because they received a potential Down Syndrome diagnosis. And in the fallout, while many have criticized the decision for its blatant disregard for life, the real discussion needs to perhaps focus not on the grotesque act itself but the societal structure that allowed it to happen in the first place.
Jesse Ridgway, aka McJuggerNuggets, is a content creator primarily on YouTube with over 4 million subscribers. On June 3, Ridgway posted a lengthy explanation for why he and his wife Ashley made the “very difficult decision” to abort their baby around five months into the pregnancy because they received Trisomy 21, or Down Syndrome, indicators after prenatal genetic screenings.
“I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family…more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life,” he wrote. “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. This was WAY higher than I expected, I thought it would be lower given that I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby. I believe that’s because most terminations happen privately, it feels shameful. A lot of judgement being cast.”
“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… Love you guys & thank you for understanding,” he concluded.
The post garnered over 20 million views within the first 48 hours of posting, and with social media revenue sharing, that level of engagement is undoubtedly bringing in money for the couple. The story made headlines in national tabloids and news outlets, and even had U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and other Congressional members chiming in to chastise the couple.
Equally egregious was a post from less than a month prior celebrating the 6th birthday of Ridgway’s dog who has Stage 4 Kidney Disease and who Jesse and Ashley have spent considerable time, energy, and money keeping alive with the best possible quality of life. The raging hypocrisy was hard to miss.
In response to the post, there was a disturbing number of people speaking in support and justification of the Ridgway’s decision to abort their baby, but also a lot of righteous rebuke for both the heinous act and the state of a society in which a man feels it acceptable to enter the public square and frame himself and his wife as victims after perpetrating homicide against their own child.
But perhaps what’s worth examining in greater honesty is the condition of our culture which has normalized the slaughter of unborn children to the extent that neither parent who made this decision will face a single legal consequence.
This was an act of eugenics, plain and simple. As Ridgway correctly stated, between 70-90% of recorded Down Syndrome pregnancies are aborted in the U.S. Never mind that research shows much prenatal genetic screening is inaccurate 80-90% of the time, or that Down’s children often go on to live full and radiant lives, with or without additional health conditions.
We can decry the Ridgway’s actions and make social media posts rightfully rebuking this evil and calling them both to the saving grace available in repentance through Jesus Christ, but then what? Nothing changes, the baby is still gone, and these parents who have gotten away with legalized murder are “excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome.”
“But” you might say, “Their story obviously didn’t happen in Tennessee. We have an abortion ban!” And you’d be right, to a degree.
While Tennessee does have the Human Life Protection Act which limits surgical and in-clinic abortions by medical professionals, abortion numbers are climbing in the state and nationwide thanks to easy access to abortifacient drugs, for which there is no regulation or legal consequence in Tennessee for those who take the pills, and a lack of accountability for those responsible for killing unborn children.
Ultimately, Jesse and Ashley’s action is reflective of a culture that has deflected any personal responsibility away from the parents and onto practitioners, who, let’s be honest, do not perform abortions except by request or permission of the mother or even both parents. Yes, these “doctors” and “counselors” are disgustingly deceptive as they twist morality to justify to themselves and vulnerable parents the murder of children, but is on their hands the only place the blood lies?
Tennessee had the opportunity to be a bold leader in rectifying this gap during the last legislative session through HB0570 by State Rep. Jody Barrett (R-Dickson-District 69). But not a single “pro-life” Republican on the House Population Health Subcommittee was even willing to entertain discussion on legislation aiming to ensure a deliberate choice to murder a child would be held legally accountable.
They aborted the bill without ever saying a word, and some have continued to justify their reasoning for killing the bill, stating that they opposed it because of opposition by some “pro-life” organizations over its call for equal justice to be applied to mothers who choose to obtain abortions.
“But isn’t it cruel to potentially punish a woman, especially when she’s likely just a victim of misinformation or a weaponized culture?” you ask. Criminalizing abortion for all parties involved doesn’t necessarily mean the death penalty, as many narratives would try to claim. Rather, it means a man or woman cannot murder their own preborn baby with legal immunity, the same way they cannot murder a born baby without legal ramifications.
And in Jesse and Ashley’s case, especially after a follow-up post where Jesse complains about the “hate and vitriol” they received while “grieving the loss of their unborn child”, we see their full acknowledgement that their baby was an independent life with its own inherent value, not some “clump of cells” or “tumor” so easily discarded.
Jesse’s admission that they are “devastated”, and the experience has been “extremely traumatic” points not to ignorance, “second victimhood”, or weaponized political messaging, but rather a deliberate choice to snuff out a life because it could potentially create discomfort in their own lives down the road.
The law, when properly enforced, acts as a deterrent. Therefore, if the idea is to make abortion so unthinkable that narratives like the Ridgway’s disappear for good, then it follows that the only consistent option is to create those legal deterrents which will help reshape the culture into one which values life for its own sake, even in red states where abortions are theoretically “banned”.
In her book Toxic Empathy, Allie Beth Stuckey says it best, “Empathy tells us only to care about how the pregnant mother is in that moment. Truth and love demand that we recognize without qualification these babies’ right to live. Yes, we also want abortion to be unthinkable and therefore rare, but first and foremost, the humanity, value, and rights of these children must be recognized by law so that they can receive the same legal protection that the rest of us have against violence and murder.”
Perhaps if we had equal protection laws in place, people like Jesse and Ashley wouldn’t be able to profit, socially or monetarily, from bragging to the world about how they murdered their child at the altar of convenience.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
A “Ban” Isn’t Enough: Why The Conversation About Abortion Isn’t Over In Tennessee
A “Ban” Isn’t Enough: Why The Conversation About Abortion Isn’t Over In Tennessee
Image Credit: Canva
Note from The Tennessee Conservative: Editorial statements in this column are the sole opinion of the author; they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire staff of this publication.
By Olivia Lupia –
At the end of last week, the cybersphere was ablaze over a viral post from a social media influencer discussing his and his wife’s decision to “terminate” their pregnancy because they received a potential Down Syndrome diagnosis. And in the fallout, while many have criticized the decision for its blatant disregard for life, the real discussion needs to perhaps focus not on the grotesque act itself but the societal structure that allowed it to happen in the first place.
Jesse Ridgway, aka McJuggerNuggets, is a content creator primarily on YouTube with over 4 million subscribers. On June 3, Ridgway posted a lengthy explanation for why he and his wife Ashley made the “very difficult decision” to abort their baby around five months into the pregnancy because they received Trisomy 21, or Down Syndrome, indicators after prenatal genetic screenings.
“I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family…more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life,” he wrote. “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. This was WAY higher than I expected, I thought it would be lower given that I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby. I believe that’s because most terminations happen privately, it feels shameful. A lot of judgement being cast.”
“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… Love you guys & thank you for understanding,” he concluded.
The post garnered over 20 million views within the first 48 hours of posting, and with social media revenue sharing, that level of engagement is undoubtedly bringing in money for the couple. The story made headlines in national tabloids and news outlets, and even had U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and other Congressional members chiming in to chastise the couple.
Equally egregious was a post from less than a month prior celebrating the 6th birthday of Ridgway’s dog who has Stage 4 Kidney Disease and who Jesse and Ashley have spent considerable time, energy, and money keeping alive with the best possible quality of life. The raging hypocrisy was hard to miss.
In response to the post, there was a disturbing number of people speaking in support and justification of the Ridgway’s decision to abort their baby, but also a lot of righteous rebuke for both the heinous act and the state of a society in which a man feels it acceptable to enter the public square and frame himself and his wife as victims after perpetrating homicide against their own child.
But perhaps what’s worth examining in greater honesty is the condition of our culture which has normalized the slaughter of unborn children to the extent that neither parent who made this decision will face a single legal consequence.
This was an act of eugenics, plain and simple. As Ridgway correctly stated, between 70-90% of recorded Down Syndrome pregnancies are aborted in the U.S. Never mind that research shows much prenatal genetic screening is inaccurate 80-90% of the time, or that Down’s children often go on to live full and radiant lives, with or without additional health conditions.
We can decry the Ridgway’s actions and make social media posts rightfully rebuking this evil and calling them both to the saving grace available in repentance through Jesus Christ, but then what? Nothing changes, the baby is still gone, and these parents who have gotten away with legalized murder are “excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome.”
“But” you might say, “Their story obviously didn’t happen in Tennessee. We have an abortion ban!” And you’d be right, to a degree.
While Tennessee does have the Human Life Protection Act which limits surgical and in-clinic abortions by medical professionals, abortion numbers are climbing in the state and nationwide thanks to easy access to abortifacient drugs, for which there is no regulation or legal consequence in Tennessee for those who take the pills, and a lack of accountability for those responsible for killing unborn children.
Ultimately, Jesse and Ashley’s action is reflective of a culture that has deflected any personal responsibility away from the parents and onto practitioners, who, let’s be honest, do not perform abortions except by request or permission of the mother or even both parents. Yes, these “doctors” and “counselors” are disgustingly deceptive as they twist morality to justify to themselves and vulnerable parents the murder of children, but is on their hands the only place the blood lies?
Tennessee had the opportunity to be a bold leader in rectifying this gap during the last legislative session through HB0570 by State Rep. Jody Barrett (R-Dickson-District 69). But not a single “pro-life” Republican on the House Population Health Subcommittee was even willing to entertain discussion on legislation aiming to ensure a deliberate choice to murder a child would be held legally accountable.
They aborted the bill without ever saying a word, and some have continued to justify their reasoning for killing the bill, stating that they opposed it because of opposition by some “pro-life” organizations over its call for equal justice to be applied to mothers who choose to obtain abortions.
“But isn’t it cruel to potentially punish a woman, especially when she’s likely just a victim of misinformation or a weaponized culture?” you ask. Criminalizing abortion for all parties involved doesn’t necessarily mean the death penalty, as many narratives would try to claim. Rather, it means a man or woman cannot murder their own preborn baby with legal immunity, the same way they cannot murder a born baby without legal ramifications.
And in Jesse and Ashley’s case, especially after a follow-up post where Jesse complains about the “hate and vitriol” they received while “grieving the loss of their unborn child”, we see their full acknowledgement that their baby was an independent life with its own inherent value, not some “clump of cells” or “tumor” so easily discarded.
Jesse’s admission that they are “devastated”, and the experience has been “extremely traumatic” points not to ignorance, “second victimhood”, or weaponized political messaging, but rather a deliberate choice to snuff out a life because it could potentially create discomfort in their own lives down the road.
The law, when properly enforced, acts as a deterrent. Therefore, if the idea is to make abortion so unthinkable that narratives like the Ridgway’s disappear for good, then it follows that the only consistent option is to create those legal deterrents which will help reshape the culture into one which values life for its own sake, even in red states where abortions are theoretically “banned”.
In her book Toxic Empathy, Allie Beth Stuckey says it best, “Empathy tells us only to care about how the pregnant mother is in that moment. Truth and love demand that we recognize without qualification these babies’ right to live. Yes, we also want abortion to be unthinkable and therefore rare, but first and foremost, the humanity, value, and rights of these children must be recognized by law so that they can receive the same legal protection that the rest of us have against violence and murder.”
Perhaps if we had equal protection laws in place, people like Jesse and Ashley wouldn’t be able to profit, socially or monetarily, from bragging to the world about how they murdered their child at the altar of convenience.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.