Jesse Ridgway: YouTuber McJuggerNuggets gets death threats after wife aborted baby with Down Syndrome

A YouTube star has revealed he and his wife made the “very difficult decision” to abort their child after discovering he had Down Syndrome.

Jesse Ridgway, also known as McJuggerNuggets, made the shock disclosure across his social media channels on Thursday, sparking a wave of death threats and furious comments alleging the decision was made on the basis of “convenience”.

Ridgway, who has 4.3 million YouTube subscribers, said he and wife Ashley were devastated and had not made the decision to terminate the pregnancy lightly.

“This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley. She underwent the procedure earlier this week and is on the mend. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but emotionally we are drained,” he wrote.

The couple had provided updates on their pregnancy journey, beginning with announcing their happy news in a 20 minute long YouTube video two months ago, and then the devastating news of the Down Syndrome diagnosis a month ago.

Down Syndrome is the most common genetic disability, affecting one in every 1100 births in Australia. It is caused when a person is born with an extra chromosome 21, which is why it is sometimes known as trisomy 21.

Down Syndrome can affect intellectual development, physical characteristics and aspects of a person’s physical health. A Down Syndrome pregnancy also comes with a chance of miscarriage and risks for the mother.

“If they’re a little slow intellectually, then we’ll make it work,” Ridgway wrote in a long post explaining the couple’s decision. “I signed on to be a parent, come what may…but I just didn’t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed.”

He then detailed a long list of health challenges face by people with Down Syndrome, including heart defects, hearing challenges, vision problems, impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural issues with face, and decreased lifespan.

“Down Syndrome isn’t a ‘blessing’, it is objectively shitty from a health perspective,” Ridgway wrote.

“I didn’t realise 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 said after speaking with doctors, friends, family and genetic counselors he had learned that up to 90 per cent 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 judgment being cast.”

And that judgement has come in a furious wave since Ridgway went public with news of the abortion, with the YouTuber revealing he had received death threats.

“I’ve never seen such hate and vitriol for two people grieving the loss of an unborn child and making an impossible decision, he wrote in a follow up post to Instagram stories.

“The last 24 hours has exposed a side of humanity that is deeply disturbing. Being called a ‘murderous piece of shit, evil compared to Hitler’ and receiving NON STOP DEATH THREATS.”

He went on, “What’s more troubling is a lot of these people use God or Jesus as their justification for threatening us and wanting to cast us to Hell. . .seems pretty hypocritical.”

Under Ridgway’s original post announcing the termination, one commenter wrote, “Imagine the message you are sending right now to every person with down syndrome around the world. You are telling them that their lives are not worth living. You are telling them that if their existence is an inconvenience for someone else that person should have the right to kill them. This is a horrific post and I hope you come to see that someday soon.”

Another wrote “Absolutely horrible, the fact you thought it acceptable to even share this is weird. You are a monster.”

Ridgway said it would take time for he and Ashley to move on, “but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome”.

In Australia, about 250 to 300 babies are born with Down Syndrome every year.

Down Syndrome Australia CEO Darryl Steff said it is estimated that 90 per cent of pregnancies which receive a “high chance” or diagnosis result in termination. But, some parents choose not to do the screening, or the screening does not highlight the chance.

Mr Steff said his organisation relied on referrals from healthcare professionals in order to provide non-directional balanced advice and support to expectant parents faced with a high chance of having a child with Down Syndrome.

“We continue to hear that the information people receive is heavily medicalised, outdated, or focused on risks rather than on what life is actually like for people with Down syndrome today,” he said.

“Increasingly, best practice includes connecting expectant parents with peer support – speaking to other parents or people with Down syndrome – so decisions can be informed by real‑life experience, not just clinical outcomes.

“Decisions following a prenatal diagnosis are deeply personal and should always occur free from judgment, stigma, or threats of violence. At the same time, it is important that public discussion does not reinforce harmful stereotypes about disability or the value of people with Down syndrome.

“People with Down syndrome in Australia live rich, meaningful lives as valued members of their families and communities – attending school, working, forming relationships, and contributing in many different ways. Ensuring parents receive balanced, respectful and contemporary information is critical so they can make informed decisions in line with their own values and circumstances.”