If you have spent any time on social media over the past several days, you are likely well aware that a young couple expecting a little boy found that he had Down syndrome and decided to abort him. The father, an “influencer” named Jesse Ridgway, wrote a post attempting to justify this eugenic action. His post ended with these chilling words: “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.”
Hopefully have a better outcome. Those words have haunted me since I read them because, once again, we see our culture treating human beings as commodities.
Ridgway’s wife was pregnant with a precious and innocent human being. Their child. But they saw him as defective, as a “glitch,” and as something that could just be thrown away rather than cherished.
Ridgway tried to justify their decision by listing all the health problems that the child might have faced. He quoted outdated statistics. He succumbed to fearmongering. But he never saw that child as a valued human being worthy of continuing life.
The backlash has been widespread, and it’s neither wise nor prudent to read all of the comments by those in favor of abortion because they are disgusting. But I feel that it’s important to just mention a few that came in response to one family’s post so that we know the battle we are facing and so that we understand why it’s so important to stand up for every human being.
A friend of mine has a six-year-old son with Down syndrome, and she and her husband founded an organization to help families of children with Down syndrome obtain therapy equipment and other services to help foster independence and improve the lives of their children. Team Iron Will believes in the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception, and they do amazing things within the Down syndrome community, but even they are not immune to the vitriol of people who see no value in those with Down syndrome. In response to an X post about their son, they received comments such as “Children with Down syndrome are lesser humans and don’t deserve to live,” “If you’re happy with your retard kid, just be happy with him instead of throwing a tantrum when others don’t want to raise a retard,” and “Iron Will doesn’t understand 2+2=4 and why we use toilets instead of our pants. Can we get to rigorous arguments instead of emotional appeals?”
I want to say that it’s hard to believe that people actually think these things, let alone type them, but this is the world we live in. Social media has given cruel and unhappy people a venue to spew their bile and offers them a chance to say the vilest things from the comfort of their own homes. They make hateful comments and move on to the next post, never thinking about the human being who was just senselessly murdered or the families whose hearts break when abortion is the response to a Down syndrome diagnosis.
This situation makes me think of another innocent person who was killed by hate-filled people, and I can’t help but reflect upon some of His final words on the cross. As Christ hung there, suffering for our sins, He said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
Father, forgive them. Do the parents understand what they did, the precious life they took? Do they truly understand the significance of their act? Only God knows. Just as only God knows about those posting hatred and support of eugenics. But if they actually understood the value of every human being, they certainly would not have advocated for this baby’s death or the death of any innocent person.
This heartbreaking scenario is why those of us in the pro-life movement work so hard day after day to teach people the value of every human being, regardless of their ability. We know that worth is not measured by what we can or can’t do. I’m no more valuable than my friend’s little boy, just as a millionaire is no more valuable than I am. God created us in His image and likeness, and that creation gave us immense value from the very first moment of our existence.
It will take a miracle for some people to see this, but our God is a God of miracles. He can move mountains. He can change even the hardest of hearts. Our job is to continue God’s work. So we must begin by praying—for a change in our culture and for a change in mindset of those who believe some human beings can and should just be thrown away.
And then we must teach. Teach the value of all people. Combat the misinformation surrounding Down syndrome. Teach that people with Down syndrome can and do lead fulfilling lives and that, no matter what they can do, they are treasures. Teach that every human being created is loved by our Heavenly Father, who has given parents a gift and who wants each one to cherish that gift.
And then we must act as Jesus did, live as He did, and speak the words that He spoke: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” For if they truly understood the horrors of abortion, they would not allow a child’s limbs to be ripped apart or his heart to be stopped. Neither Down syndrome nor any other diagnosis should be a death sentence.
Ridgway said he hopes for a better outcome in the future. I too hope for a better outcome. That is why I dedicate my life to working every day to bring that better outcome to bear within our society. For if we who understand the value of all human beings don’t work to protect them and teach their immense value, how can we expect others to ever see this truth?
This article first appeared in LifeSiteNews at lifesitenews.com/opinion/down-syndrome-should-never-be-a-death-sentence-for-an-unborn-child/?utm_source=most_recent.
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