Jesse Ridgway and his wife, Ashley Ridgway, have been at the center of controversy after making the “difficult decision to terminate” her pregnancy after receiving a fetal Down syndrome diagnosis.
“We were so excited to celebrate the gender reveal in a Psycho video with you guys, but in true ‘art imitates life’ — fashion…there had to be a dark twist,” Jesse wrote via Instagram in April. The same genetic testing that told us our baby would be a boy revealed to us that he had a 95 percent chance to be born with Down Syndrome.”
Jesse explained that “Syndrome carries a very HIGH risk of miscarriage and usually comes with heart defects, structural abnormalities, developmental issues, shorter lifespan, etc.”
“As excited as we are to become parents, this was a gut-punch … We want the best for our first kid … and even putting Ashley at risk … so many questions and concerns,” he wrote. “To make matters more complicated, the company that issues the genetic testing called, ‘Natera’, has recently lost a lawsuit to the tune of millions for misleading patients with inaccurate test results, namely “false positives”.
He continued, “I wholeheartedly believe that this is one of those situations, the down syndrome percentage is a fluke and our baby boy will be born with zero health problems.We will be getting an amniocentesis in around a month to give us a definitive answer on the baby’s health, until then we’ll just be keeping the faith that everything will work out OK! Thanks for being with us on this ride. Whatever happens, happens. 💙.”
Scroll down to see what the pair have said about the backlash:
Jesse Ridway Says He and Ashley Ridgway Have Been Receiving Death Threats
During a June 5 episode of TMZ Live, Jesse shared that he and Ashley have been receiving death threats. “With the death threats and everything, it has been shocking,” Jesse said. “Close people to us are very judgmental. Religious-based [people] saying we’re going to burn in hell. ‘We deserve to die.’”
He continued, “We had a [security] gate installed. I have a gun next to my nightstand because it’s been getting so ridiculous and [threats] have been coming to emails, DMs, you name it. We’ve seen the darkest side of humanity through this process.”
Despite the backlash, Ashley shared that she did not regret her decision to terminate her pregnancy.
Jesse Ridgway Addresses Conspiracy Theorists After Ashley Ridgway’s Abortion
Amid the online backlash, Jesse took to his social media to address conspiracy theorists.
“Ya’ll can’t even keep your stories straight, it’s crazy,” he wrote in a statement on June 7. “Was she 6-months pregnant or 3-months pregnant? 18 weeks or 21 weeks? Was it a definitive Down Syndrome diagnosis or just suspected? All the info has already been provided by us, but everyone just picks, chooses or makes s*** up to fit their own narrative.”
“As we creep further into the brainrot era of social media, people will forget how to even properly think for themselves. The conspiracy rabbit holes deepen as people start to question if it was all real or fake…?” he continued. “Zooming in on ultrasound pics and my wife’s belly? Internet detectives putting in overtime only to discover their own tail. And we’re the ones with a problem… 🙄”
Jesse Ridgway Shares Emotional Video Of ‘Night After’ Ashley Ridgway’s Abortion
In a video shared via Facebook on June 8, Ashley became emotional when she read a note from her inlaws.
“Was this your parents? That’s really sweet,” Ashley shared in the video. “It says, ‘Life is tough but so are you. This bracelet stands for the waves of life you’ve been through. … You can’t stop the waves but you can learn to ride them.’”
In the caption, Jesse claimed that Ashley’s family has “been nowhere to be found.”
“Some even going as far as joining in on the bandwagon hate PUBLICLY, kicking her while she’s down at her lowest point,” Jesse claimed. “She has received text messages from her family accusing me of abuse and that I’m brainwashing her…issuing ultimatums that she needs to LEAVE ME IMMEDIATELY. Audacious s*** that will have your head-spinning because of the delusion and lack of consideration.”
“Downright disgusting gossip and s***-talking amongst important people in her life as if she’s not even blood. No backbone, just cowardice as they accuse me of making the decision and controlling/manipulating her over all the years of being together,” Jesse continued. “We’ve put up with a lot of s***, but when it’s your own family exercising their bitterness and turning their backs when it matters the most, it really reveals everything about their character.”
