{"id":145719,"date":"2026-06-08T12:31:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=145719"},"modified":"2026-06-08T18:56:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T22:56:46","slug":"first-things-jonathon-van-maren-when-eugenics-goes-viral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=145719","title":{"rendered":"(First Things) Jonathon Van Maren–When Eugenics Goes Viral"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On June 3, a debate about the silent genocide of unborn children with Down syndrome exploded on social media. The unlikely catalyst was an X post by YouTube influencer Jesse \u201cMcJuggerNuggets\u201d Ridgway. For months, the Ridgways had been producing and posting news of their pregnancy for a massive online audience, including their pregnancy announcement<\/a> on March 29, a gender reveal (a boy), ultrasounds, and finally, a disturbingly personal video<\/a> of the grief-stricken couple finding out their baby likely had Down syndrome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The journey culminated in Ridgway\u2019s announcement<\/a> that the couple had decided to abort the baby at twenty-one weeks. (Last year, a preemie born at twenty-one weeks in Iowa<\/a> survived.) Ridgway listed the health problems his son might have suffered from\u2014heart defects, hearing challenges, learning disabilities, decreased lifespan\u2014and concluded: \u201cDown syndrome isn\u2019t a \u2018blessing.\u2019\u201d He assured his \u201cfans\u201d with autism and Down syndrome that \u201cwe appreciate you,\u201d but said that the abortion \u201cwill be beneficial for our family\u201d and that \u201cthankfully, we had a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The post has been viewed over 24 million times and has garnered 18,000 mostly negative comments. Many were livid at Ridgway\u2019s openly eugenic justification for having his unborn son destroyed; hundreds posted stories, photos, and videos of their loved ones with Down syndrome, expressing their gratitude for their love, lives, and contributions. The photos put faces to society\u2019s most endangered population\u2014as Ridgway pointed out in his post, around 90 percent of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are killed in the womb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>

This is unspeakably evil, but I give the guy credit for speaking about it directly in public. Most of our eugenic killing simply goes on on the down low, which is how throwaway culture flourishes. When brought to light, they can be named for what they are. https:\/\/t.co\/CLhEitDBTu<\/a><\/p>— Charlie Camosy (@CCamosy) June 4, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>