Politics For Happy People
A podcast about politics for happy people!
Politics For Happy People
The Culture of Convenience Comes for Parenthood
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When YouTube personality Jesse Ridgeway (McJuggerNuggets) publicly announced that he and his wife aborted their unborn child after a Down syndrome diagnosis, the backlash was immediate. Ashley Vaughan and Joseph Backholm examine the heartbreaking decision, the cultural beliefs that made it seem acceptable, and the dangerous idea that some lives are less valuable than others. They challenge the secular worldview behind selective abortion, discuss what Down syndrome families actually experience, and explain that every human life has inherent worth—regardless of ability, age, or circumstance.
Welcome to Politics for Happy People. I'm Ashley Vaughn and I'm here with Joseph Backholm. Good to see you, Ashley. Good to see you too. Once again, what do we got today? We have a lot, we have a lot of great things. I think you wanted to start with something interesting that you saw this week.
SPEAKER_02Well, I mean, did I, but sure, now that you've made me for it. Um, something interesting. Kids are remarkable. We have children. The parents of this seven-year-old Pennsylvania boy are particularly proud because he just got into the Guinness Book of World Records.
SPEAKER_00What did you do?
SPEAKER_02You have a child, Ashley, in the Guinness Book of World Records.
SPEAKER_00I do not. They are exceptional in other ways, though.
SPEAKER_02I now have a path for you to get your child into the Guinness Book of World Records because this seven-year-old in Pennsylvania went to the local library and put on 50 sweaters at once. And that got him into the Guinness Book of World Records. So I think 51.
SPEAKER_00They I have one child that could pull this off.
SPEAKER_02That might do that.
SPEAKER_00Yes. I have one class clown. And if he's getting in the if he's going to be in the Guinness Book of World Records, it's going to be for something very funny.
SPEAKER_02Did you did you know that it was that it was that easy? The Guinness Book of World Records has so many obscure categories. Is I actually was in, I mean, in the last like 12 months or something, I was I was in Budapest and I happened upon a Guinness Book of World Record recitation of a poem. It was like 1,500 people reciting a poem at the same time, and that was apparently I did not know the poem because they were saying it in Hungarian.
SPEAKER_00So if you do something completely random, you can be in the Guinness Book of World Records because no one's ever done that. It's starting to get a little lame, I'm not gonna lie. I mean, you know, but if that's your thing.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, you can do that for your kids. So there's your little tidbit. Be creative, find a niche category. It's your uh, I think the I think the um You be you. It's your blue ocean strategy, is how the business development guys would talk about that. You just gotta create your own, create your own ocean, create your own ladder, create your own categories, and then just dominate it, and then you're the best. Life lesson. That's right. Yeah. That's how we become elite.
SPEAKER_00I saw something, I learned something interesting this week. This is a little more serious topic. Okay. We are joining a campaign to stop abortion crime by mail. When I say we, I mean our organization, North Carolina Values Coalition, and we are partnering with the Center for Christian Virtue and a whole bunch of other organizations who are committing to stopping abortion crime by mail. And what I mean by that is there's a whole like rogue abortion industry that is mailing pills all over the country. And it could be um doctors from states where there are no abortion restrictions, mailing those pills into states that have restrictions.
SPEAKER_02So that's like California into Oklahoma.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And there are SHIELD laws in some of these states, like in New York and others, that uh are supposed to provide legal protection for these doctors. But then we also have truly rogue websites that have no oversight, may even be from other countries that mail pills uh into the United States. And um, some of these pills are just they're not inspected or regulated. It is a dangerous situation, and it does violate our state laws, which require an in-person visit to have a prescription for mifepristone, the medication that induces an abortion. Um, and so it it it is a it is a it's a state level issue that's a violation of state laws. It's also a violation of our federal laws. The Comstock Act uh should prevent these pills from uh being able to be sent in the mail. And uh the Biden administration during COVID relaxed the requirement, the FDA requirement, that uh these someone see a provider in person before they they get these medications. And their whole host of medical reasons for that, including ruling out ectopic pregnancy, ensuring that the pregnancy isn't further along than that you think it is, uh, making sure that the infection and hemorrhage doesn't occur outside of the care of a physician. And so, anyways, the surprising thing that I learned is that there was a Federalist poll recently that said 67% of voters support having this in-person requirement. Um so that means an in-person visit with a provider before you get this abortion drug. And that included 63% of Democrats. And that really surprised me that this poll, actually. That this poll, you know, found that 63% of Democrats support um medical these medical safeguards um for well and and my guess is, you know, and in polls are polls, and you know, you can you can make polls say a lot of things depending on how you ask the question, of course.
SPEAKER_02That is a big part of it. My guess is that before this question was asked, the uh person being surveyed was educated a bit on the risks of this. And then they asked, so given all of the health risks associated with chemical abortion drugs, do you support an in-person examination before they get them? And then the person's like, well, of course. Right. Of course. Once they have their facts. Yeah, I mean, w we're for safety, but the reality is if if you just ask, should there be restrictions on an ab a woman's ability to get an abortion however she wants, whenever she wants, those same people would say no.
unknownRight.
SPEAKER_02So education and information um matters a lot in surveys responses like this. But it's great if that does indicate that people will see it that way if given the right information. That's uh that's super encouraging.
SPEAKER_00So if you're listening to this and you're concerned about abortion crime by mail, you can go to abortioncrime by mail dot com and they've given you a really easy way to contact your uh your congressmen and let them know that um that we want Congress and the Trump administration to restore that in-person doctor's visit requirement that Joe Biden took away. And therefore protecting unborn life and also protecting women who who are in a vulnerable position uh from receiving these drugs outside of care and potentially drugs that are um not even they could be tainted because uh when you can mail these pills, they can come from anywhere and they can contain anything. Um so abortion crime by mail.com, anyone can do that in North Carolina and really in any state. So moving on, we have another story to talk about today, and um it's also related to abortion. It is the story of a popular YouTuber, youtuber. He's like a YouTuber, and and we're gonna bring a special guest on today who's gonna give us some background to Jesse. His name is Jesse Ridgeway.
SPEAKER_02But apparently his name is actually McJuggernuggets. And uh as we bring on Eli, our what are you? Are you our producer? He does everything. Something like that. Something like that. Well, he's also a resident Gen Zier. Yes. And so when we were talking about this story, we're like, who is this guy? And he goes, Oh, McJuggernuggets. I know who he is. So we're like, well, then you need to tell us who this guy is. Uh Eli, tell us about Jesse Ridgeway slash McJuggernuggets.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, he's a YouTuber. Well, was I don't think he does much of YouTube anymore.
SPEAKER_02But isn't that why we're talking about it? Yeah. I thought he still did. But where is he now if he's not on YouTube?
SPEAKER_01I'm not sure where he's now. I know when when I was around the age 12, 13, he was massive. He um he got really famous for a video where his dad took his Xbox out of his bedroom and ran it over with a lawnmower. And you know, at that time, you know, 2012, stuff like that like went so viral. It ended up being like throw a temper tantrum.
SPEAKER_02Is that what you feel like pretended to be angry, or was he really outraged?
SPEAKER_01Uh no, it ended up being like it was all just kind of satire, but but you know, at the age of 12, yeah, um, and all the other 12-year-olds that were probably watching, we were like, oh my gosh, this is hilarious. So he started this whole series called Psycho Series, where his dad and like his whole family was just dysfunctional. And really for years, people didn't know if it was like actual, like people really genuinely thought maybe this is real. Um, but after years and years he he he came out, he was like, Yeah, this was totally satire. Um it's all scripted, it's all scripted, and but it was really entertaining, um, I guess for some people. Okay, so that's kind of how he got started, and uh that was kind of his thing for a long time.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So he has a decent, I mean, I'm looking here at his what is this? Okay, this is I'm sorry, this is his Instagram, but he has like 625,000 followers, you know. On Instagram, yeah. I wonder what he has on YouTube if he started there. Um, but anyways, evidently he's he gained a lot of traction and and notoriety through these silly videos, which is why we're talking about him today.
SPEAKER_02Um because he recently made an announcement to his followers about a decision that he and his wife made to abort their baby.
SPEAKER_00Yes. So they posted this video of him and his wife, and I think there were a series of videos as they went through the prenatal testing process to determine whether their their baby, their first, this is their first pregnancy.
SPEAKER_02So they were basically like vlogging their pregnancy and yay, we're having a baby, we're all excited, but let's just as some people do, let's just document every moment of our lives and let the world see.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. Yeah. So he has this following that you know that we've we've heard the history from Eli of he became internet famous and has this following and has continued this on into adulthood in his career. And um, now they're they're vlogging their experience of walking through the prenatal testing process and and they did a series of tests until finally it was confirmed that their child did have Down syndrome, and they did a video and it had like sad music on it when they discovered this diagnosis. And then following that, they posted a video where they said, We have made the decision to abort this child because of the diagnosis of Down syndrome.
SPEAKER_02And there's like layers to that, right? Because I mean, on one level, you become aware of the traps of making everything in your life public, because some things are hard to make very public, but if you let everybody in on every detail of the pregnancy, um a lot of people are gonna wonder, where's the baby? Because we thought you remembered that, and and it's gonna be awkward. You're you know, ignoring it. And so I guess on some level, they felt obligated to come out and make this announcement because everybody knew they had a baby and now they weren't gonna have a baby and they had to tell everybody why.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I potentially, I mean, I I have known people that decided to get an abortion and did not tell people and just said, well, we lost the baby. But they did not go that route.
SPEAKER_02They were very honest about it. And what do you make of that? Why didn't they like make up a story about miscarrying?
SPEAKER_00I don't know. I can't read their hearts, but based on the videos that I saw, it seems like they thought they would get they would that that people would be sympathetic to the fact that this horrible thing happened to them, that they had been wanting a baby for so long, they became pregnant, and then they got this terrible diagnosis, and now we don't get to have our baby. I think that was their story, and I think that's how they thought people were going to receive it, but that is in no way how it has been received.
SPEAKER_02People well, not in no way. Some people because because I think they reached that conclusion because they did give that feedback. And I my my suspicion is their close circle, like the people that they are closest to in their lives, uh probably share their worldview. I've since learned that he's he's a secularist, and so he that that comes with a bunch of like assumptions about reality and and the purpose of life, and uh, and he's probably surrounded by people who share that, who have affirmed the fact that, hey, if this is inconvenient, they've grown up in a culture where abortion's justified by the fact that your child is inconvenient. This is inconvenient, therefore do it. And so he probably was getting a lot of encouragement.
SPEAKER_00Fair enough. And he says that. I've I thank you so much to all those who have supported me. I love you. He said that in one of his recent videos. So, yeah, they have had some support, but I what I was trying to say, and maybe didn't say well, is that they've had a massive amount of uh backlash against and and an attention to rightly so um to this decision because of the horrific reality of the fact that they have ended the life of their child because they before they even met their child, they deemed that life not worth living.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and and I w there's something about the way they described this when they told the world that this is what they had done, and they talked about the quote, heart-wrenching decision to abort our child. And ever since they talked about the heart-wrenching decision, they've justified it as right and good. And I think they're telling on themselves a little bit in a way that I think it's worth like acknowledg pausing and acknowledging for a moment. Because why is it heart-wrenching? Why was this a heart-wrenching decision for them? Because on some level, they recognize that it was wrong. That when our moral calculators as people is when when we know something is we we usually know the right thing to do in a situation. I think j just generally in life, right? Sometimes there's genuine gray area and it's hard to know what the right decision is. I don't think that's the case in most situations. I think most of the time we know the right thing to do, and we just need the courage to do it.
SPEAKER_00We don't have the strength to do it, maybe.
SPEAKER_02Right, right. We need the courage to do the right thing, and maybe we need people around us reminding us it's the right thing and doing it. And it's hard to do the right thing when it's gonna cost us something, to to tell the truth when there's a cost, to say something true when there's a cost, right? So sometimes it's hard to do the right thing. But what's even harder than doing the right thing when there's a cost is doing the thing that we know is wrong, but still wanting to see ourselves as the good guy. And I think that's the situation that they're in. The reason it was heart-wrenching was not because it was diff difficult to know what the right thing to do is. They, I think, intuitively knew that. They just didn't want to. And so what makes those situations heart-wrenching is I probably should live a life of sacrifice on behalf of my ch child now. But that's really inconvenient. I really don't want to. I have to do some psychological and ethical gymnastics to rationalize the thing that I want to do. And that's what I'm gonna do, and then I'm gonna convince the world, then I'm gonna convince myself that it was actually the right thing to do. That's why it's heart-wrenching in in situations like this. And I think it's a really a it's relatable because every human has been in that situation. But I think when he tells the world this was heart-wrenching, what he is admitting is the fact that this was really hard. And the only reason it was hard is because he understood ultimately that it was probably wrong, but he did it anyway.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, I mean, there's no there's no denying the fact that to become a parent is to sign up for self-sacrifice, and that is true whether your child is perfectly healthy or uh develops normally, or has a genetic condition, or becomes injured and incapacitated, or um has learning disabilities, there are situations that bring additional challenges, uh, but to be a parent is is to enter into a situation of self-sacrifice. And yeah, I do think these people know that they they didn't choose that. And so now what the reality that they're living with is the truth that they didn't have they didn't have the courage to walk the path that they really should have. And and they have to live with that now, and and that is worse, honestly. And so, and that's why he's very, I mean, so he's had a number of back and forth kind of arguments with people publicly online, you know, defending this decision. And that's because of that painful place that he is in now, of the reality of of what he's done and and and the decision that he and his wife are now gonna have to live with going forward. And I want to be very clear there is forgiveness for that. And yet he has not, he has not gotten to the place where he has not he's not looking for forgiveness. No, he's not. And and so but but but my point is there is forgiveness, but he's not he's not looking or asking for forgiveness. He's at a place of justifying this. Um, he had a back and forth with someone named Caleb Park, uh, who's like a podcaster, and Caleb Park said to Jesse Ridgway, you complain about death threats, which are not justified or okay, but you literally killed your own child in the womb. You spent money and time and effort to help save your dog, but you didn't give that chance to your child. You don't have to believe in God to know that we all have value and worth as human beings, and that's worth fighting for. You fell for the lies, fear, and deception from the abortion industry. And then Jesse Ridgway replied to Caleb Park. How many animals have you eaten this past week? Slaughtered just for you. Are you a secondhand murderer as well? Wouldn't you agree that a cow or pig crying and screaming as its throat is slit has significantly more consciousness than an 18-week-old fetus, which I presume was the age of his unborn child. Back to Jesse's words. Oh, but it's different because we eat animals and they're not human. We're made in God's image. And then he says, Will this be some version of the response, thou holy one, to Caleb Park? So there's a lot there. Um his arguments for the decision that he has made have gotten to the desperate, the level of desperate. Um, when you are, I mean, evidently here he is making the argument that it is worse to kill an animal to eat it because it has more consciousness than killing a human being, his own child in the womb. That's that is not an argument that is going to really fly for a lot of people, I don't think.
SPEAKER_02He is very clearly rationalizing the decision that he made. And he makes a mistake there that every single person in the every apologist for abortion makes, which is it's not really valuable, it's not really human, and he compares it to you know killing animals, and that is not logical. But he's not trying to be logical. He he if if if logic mattered, he would have made a different decision. He's he did what he wanted to do, and now he's trying to justify doing what he wanted to do. And that's psychologically what he has to do because the truth is too painful. Yes, if you admit it. If if if he acknowledges I can't I mean that that's why he's responding the way he is to people who say you kill your own kid. Now that is that the most gracious way to frame this discussion. No. Is it factually true? Yes. And that's what he has to wrestle with. And you made the point earlier that there is forgiveness in Jesus for whatever the whatever we do. And that's the beauty of forgiveness is that we can let go of the guilt associated with the sin that we know we have committed. And you can then walk in freedom after that. But right now he's not looking for that because he doesn't want to repent. He does not want to acknowledge that the thing that he did was wrong. He's still in the I'm still a good guy, I did the right thing, face.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I think that's true. I think there is a lot going on here. I think sometimes um, and I don't know what happened with Jess Jesse Ridgway and his wife, but you know, it's certainly true that when a lot of times, and I know this because I I wrote my dissertation on families of children with Down syndrome, and the diagnosis, the time period around the diagnosis is a difficult time for families because nobody nobody just envisions that, I don't think. Oh, you know, when I grow up and and I meet someone and get married and and go to have a a child with them, that my child is going to have Down syndrome. You just that's not the expected path in people's minds. And it's very surprising a lot of times when they get the diagnosis. A hard thing that many of the families, um, my my research, we did interviews with families, and we also had quantitative measures of of well-being for families, and um, and we talked to them many years, the families many years when the children were older, um, apart away from the diagnosis period, but they all looked back on that time of diagnosis as being a difficult time. It was particularly hard for families to receive the diagnosis prenatally because they didn't also have their child that they loved in their arms who they could see and see their smile and interact with them. It was just sort of a, oh, your child has Down syndrome and they could have um a heart defect, and they could have all these other health problems that are associated with Down syndrome. And it was very scary. A lot of times the diagnosis was not delivered in a way, it was delivered in a, oh, we're so sorry to tell you this kind of a way. And and so it's that environment in which people are making decisions that could result in the end of the life of their child and could stick with them for the rest of their lives.
SPEAKER_02You're you're a mother. You you talk about how it's harder for mothers and families to receive the diagnosis before the child is born rather than after the child. Is there still this sense that this is not real then? Do you think like because I don't think many people are arguing for the fact that I should be able to kill my child after it's born if it has Down syndrome. Though logically, I would say there's no difference. Emotionally, it feels different. Is that why in in in your surveys and talking about with talking to families who have experienced a down with a Down syndrome child, they respond differently if they get the diagnosis before the baby is born?
SPEAKER_00Because the diagnosis doesn't feel real or because the child doesn't feel like the child doesn't feel real.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Does I mean how would you do you have a I mean, do you have an opinion about why families respond differently if they get the diagnosis before birth as opposed to after birth?
SPEAKER_00Well, I that's not a universal. Some people uh But is that generally true?
SPEAKER_02Is it generally true? And I thought that's what I heard you say.
SPEAKER_00Well, I I did say that. For for many families, that was true. For other families, they said, you know, actually knowing ahead of time helped us to prepare mentally and emotionally. Um the point that I am making is that when for some families, when they received this diagnosis prenatally, it was sort of like the whole situation was unknown. They don't know what Down syndrome is going to be like, and they don't know their child yet because their child is in their the potentially, you know, so small. Yeah. You don't know before they're not even kicking yet, you know, um, in some of these cases. So um it was, it was the whole situation was just like very abstract. Um versus your baby is born and you're holding your baby and you're enjoying your baby and you're loving on your baby, and then the doctor says, I'm seeing some signs we need to do these tests. And so I'm not ultimately making any kind of a claim about whether we should or shouldn't do prenatal testing. What I am saying is that with prenatal testing, it does create these sort of situations where, you know, the child is so small and so um, you know, maybe maybe what you're saying is right, abstract in your mind, like you don't know the child yet, you haven't met the child yet. And yet you have this information about them that then sometimes, I'm not saying all the time, but sometimes when doctors present this information about what Down syndrome is going to be like, it sounds very, very, very scary. Um, and yet, from my research, and I think this is borne out um in the literature widely, families of children with Down syndrome do very well, despite the fact that the diagnosis period, many of them say is a hard time, whether it's prenatal or postnatal, because they weren't expecting it, that's a hard time. And the way that that news is delivered makes a big difference as to as to how it lands. But over the long term, these families do very, very well. They adapt very well to the challenges that the child has. And even more so, they say consistently, this child is the greatest blessing we could imagine in our family. We didn't understand that back then, but we see that now.
SPEAKER_02So, what did Jesse Ridgway and his wife hear that led them to a totally different conclusion? Because what you're describing is something that, you know, isn't the end of the world. And and you talk about the fact that, you know, the way the information is presented makes all the difference in the world. Is this just something where if you have the wrong doctor who's very pro-abortion and kind of eugenic in instincts and say, hey, these are kids that are going to suffer, let's just kill them all? And if you get the information from that kind of a doctor, you're gonna be pushed in that direction, as opposed to somebody who says, Hey, I want you to know something unique and special about your child. Um, is that all there is to it? Like, which doctor do you have? Because we've heard about, you know, Iceland has claimed to have eradicated Down syndrome, and of course they didn't, they just killed them all. What do you think explains the different reaction? Because clearly Jesse Ridgway and his wife did not see this situation in the way that you have described it.
SPEAKER_00I certainly think for someone like Jesse Ridgway, who says in one of his videos that I haven't believed in God since I was eight. You know, I believe in science. Um, clearly he's not he's not a Christian, and he's not a part of a Christian community. And he doesn't have, as you said, people around him saying, This child is going to be a blessing. You can do this, you have what it takes to bring your child into the world, to raise them up, um, and and to meet the challenges that come along with that. He does not have that kind of community. And so, yeah, certainly in situations like that, where the doctor is presenting this information, and if they're doing it in a way that's like scary, or if you talk to a genetic counselor and they're kind of like they call it heavy-handed, you know, genetic counseling, where is it coercion? Like, I I don't know, but they're kind of saying like this is what's gonna be best for you. So are these quote professionals are is what they are saying gonna weigh heavily more heavily in your decision if you're not connected to a supportive uh church community that's filling, you know, your mind and your spirit with encouragement and good things? Yes. I read this article, um, it's North Carolina Health News article that I think it's from it's from last year, and it was kind of going over the abortion laws in North Carolina, and it is illegal in North Carolina to abort to abort a child for the reason of Down syndrome. It's something that our organization, our executive director, Tammy Fitzgerald, worked very hard on this provision uh because of her value for unborn life, no matter ability or age. And and and so it is what what Jesse Ridgway did is illegal um in North Carolina. And there's this article kind of going through isn't this so I mean it's from North Carolina Health News, which is like a left-wing publication, basically saying, isn't this law so horrible because now people have to travel to Virginia to abort their down syndrome babies a baby with Down syndrome? And they have a quote from this person who is described as B. This is what B says, thinking down the line, already being advanced maternal age, me and my husband thought, do we want to be almost 80 years old caring for somebody with Down syndrome when they're 40 or having to put them in a state-run facility? Or if we did have additional kids, are they going to be responsible for the care of the child that we have? People see the happy cases of Down syndrome, or like the cute babies, but they don't necessarily always think about what it's going to look like down the line, or the fact that it can be really severe.
SPEAKER_02This is the better off dead argument that you hear from the abortion industry in cases like this often. And it's essentially what I I heard Jesse Ridgway make versions of this argument, which is, oh, this kid would suffer, there's going to be challenges, higher rates of you know, heart problems, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And when you carry that argument to its logical conclusion, you're saying that somebody who is medically imperfect, and there's also, you know, Down syndrome is just one on a long list of things that can be challenging in life, either from birth or after the fact. And if you accept the idea that, oh, if your life is going to be hard, you should die, that is frankly the argument that's being made versus suicide right now, which is why you have, like in Europe, you have teenagers being euthanized because they're depressed.
SPEAKER_00If my worth and my right to live is somehow dependent on my ability or any quality that I possess, that quality or ability can be taken away at any moment. You know, I could be disfigured, I could become disabled. Um, so the reality is when you make this argument, not only are you devaluing the life of the person with Down syndrome or the life of the person who's elderly or the life of the person who's inside the womb, you are also devaluing your own life.
SPEAKER_02You are you are insisting that the only thing that our value comes from our capacity and the things that we're capable of performing. And that means that once you lose that capacity, you no longer have value. And and this is, I mean, this is the alternative to the Imago Day. And of course, the Christian worldview is that our value comes from the fact that we're created in the image of God. It's in our nature, it's not in our capacity. So if we're too young to have certain capacities, we still have value. If we're too old to have certain capacities, we still have value. If we got injured so we don't have certain capacities, we still have value. And the only alternative to that is the one that Jesse Ridgway has adapted. And this is somewhat logical from a secular perspective is if my value does not come from my nature, and it can't if you're a secularist, there's no value in my nature, which is why he compares us to animals that we eat for breakfast, then my value as a person comes from what I'm capable of doing. And and then my life is less valuable if it's going to be hard in some way. So we end it. And it these this really is a binary choice. And it comes down to where do we have our value as people? And if you're our are a Christian, it's in our nature, therefore we don't kill you for any reason, whether we find your life to be inconvenient to us, or we think that you're sad, or we think that your life is hard to you. You're not better off dead. That's a decision that God makes. You're better off alive until he decides that your life is going to end. Um, and so who's God? Who's in charge? Uh really is a binary choice. Jesse uh Jesse Ridgway's decision here has effectively, I think, communicated the logical conclusion of the secular worldview.
SPEAKER_00I think it's more than that, too. I think as Christians, you know, we we know and we understand that, and Jesus said this in the Beatitudes, that he's close to the humble and the meek and the lowly. And what he means by that is what the the what the world views as being those things. And if you've ever spent much time around people with Down syndrome, you know they actually have abilities. And I'm not gonna make a blanket statement because individuals are individuals, whether you have Down syndrome or not, you have differences with other people, but people with Down syndrome have abilities that other people don't have, you know. I I will never forget this. I was sitting in a restaurant one day, and um, I was feeling so, so sorry for myself and just so self-focused, and like, oh, what do people think of me in this situation? And I should have done something different, and what is this gonna mean for me? And just really just, you know, steeping in my own self-pity and self-um, what do you call it, like examination. And this precious girl just comes up. I'm at Chick-fil-A, and she's like so happy. And she was like showing me her her bracelets that she had made. She was doing everything she could to make me happy. Like she was, can I get you napkins? Can I do this? You know? And I just thought to myself, I mean, it was humbling. It was like, here she is, focused on me. And I'm here and I'm focused on me, and it's making me miserable. Like it was like she had just blasted me out of this like just awful moment where all I care about selfishness, and and showed me like, you need to lift up your head, you need to look around, you need to serve others, you need to love others. That is what life is about. It is not just all about, oh, poor pitiful me and what's going on with me. And and and we have, you know, we have friends with Down syndrome, they they bring so much joy to our lives. You are missing out on on so much, and you don't, God's design for humanity is just so wonderful, and you are missing out, you know, if you are choosing to not have your child with Down syndrome.
SPEAKER_02And there's another thing that I think is worth highlighting. Uh, we are parents, we have children. Parenting is nothing if not a gamble. And when you bring a child into the world, and you should, if the Lord gives you that opportunity, because children really are a blessing from the Lord, not the perfect ones, because there is no such thing as the perfect one. And in this idea that um if there's a particular challenge, we're gonna decide that we're gonna kill my kid if the challenge is too great, is uh problematic on so many levels. And even if this child had been born genetically quote unquote perfect, there's gonna be some challenges there. And uh Jesse and his parenthood is sacrificed. I mean, it is nothing. Anyone who's a parent knows that it is you are it is a roller coaster and you are signing up for a lot of things you have no idea you're signing up for. And so if the idea that, well, if they if there's some kind of like health problem early on, we're gonna we're gonna kill it, you are approaching parenting in entirely the wrong way because there are many, many, many challenges associated with parenting that are harder than Down syndrome. And so know that, folks. Know that. And it doesn't mean it's not worth it, and it doesn't mean they're still not a blessing. Um, but gosh, if you're looking for comfort, you do not want to be a parent.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00Well, I do feel for frankly, I really do feel for Jesse Ridgway and his wife. They're they're in a bad, they're in a bad spot. I mean, they need prayer. Um, this is uh a horrific reality that they are in.
SPEAKER_02True. And and and they're gonna and we see them, you know, defending psychologically what they're doing, because I don't think they have any choice. Um but hopefully, and I think made the point earlier that the the only way through guilt is forgiveness. Otherwise, you drive yourself crazy trying to convince yourself that it really wasn't wrong, and then you just carry it around forever and ever and ever. And and of course, you know, there are lots of pro-life organizations helping people deal with the the guilt that inevitably comes with abortion, and that is a good good thing. Yes, and and so know that that is out there and it's not condemnation, but it is we we still have to live with uh clear eyes about what it is that this means, and we need to be unambiguous about what it means because you know we often know we we need to know what the right thing is with certainty, and we need to be surrounded by people who are gonna say go do the right thing. Um because it isn't always comfortable, but it's always better. It's always, always better.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, abortion aftercare is so important, and I have so much um, I have so much respect and appreciation for the pro-life ministries that are doing that work because many, many times they have, you know, they do, they have women come who have had, you know, repeat abortions and and they're hurt and they're hurting and they they can't understand it and they need help walking through that. And I think those ministries and the church are the exact right place for them to be. It's exactly that they can find forgiveness and and healing and healing. Yeah, healing.
SPEAKER_02And that's how you end up being happy despite the challenges, right? Here on politics for happy people, where we want to talk about things that are serious and heavy and weighty, but we keep our joy, and ultimately that's because um there is forgiveness for the brokenness, and there is reason for hope even when things are hard. And and that's the good news of the gospel. So this is a good reminder of that, and another illustration of why we all need Jesus. And friends, we thank you for joining us today. I want to remind you new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. So look for them wherever you have found us. Like and subscribe, and give us a review if you can, because that helps us make new friends. So glad you're on the journey with us. We look forward to talking to you next time on politics for Happy Bee.