When Youtuber Jesse Ridgway and his wife went on social media to explain why they terminated their baby (after having previously being on social media celebrating that same baby), the reaction wasn’t, apparently, what they expected. Given the topic and the nature of the echo chamber that comprises so much of social media, it really shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise at all. But when your goal is clicks and views, it doesn’t really matter, does it?
So let’s step back from the specific example, and get to my two hot takes on the topic. One is general, one is very personal.
Hot take #1: Abortion has always been about eliminating the “undesirables”. We can talk about nuance, we can talk about compassion, but in the end, this has always been the point. What’s changed over time–but only to an extent–is the definition of what is deemed undesirable. For Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, it was about eliminating the “unintelligent” and the black community. From her, directly:
“The eugenic and civilizational value of birth control is becoming apparent to the enlightened and the intelligent.”
“We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.”
Eugenics was the driving force behind Hitler’s plan to exterminate his “undesirables” as well…he just did well after birth. Abortion is nothing but a subset of eugenics. The goals are the same.
Undesirable now can mean potential birth defects, the baby being the “wrong” sex, or simply convenience. So let’s at least be honest about it.
Hot take #2: This is the very personal hot take, guaranteed to make some people upset. But as the dad of a disabled child, I believe I stand in a place of understanding in a way the general population cannot.
The hot take is this: as Evanna grows up, she is going to know and understand what I’ve written above, that there are people who believe in the “right” to eliminate those who are deemed undesirable, including those who are disabled. She is going to know that there are people–probably some who claim to care about her–that would prefer or choose for her not to have been born, because they believe she is somehow “less than” or some sort of undue burden, because that is what abortion boils down to in the end.
Bonus hot take: Jesse Ridgway can rail against those who oppose what they chose to do all he wants, but here’s the thing: he is the one that decided to announce it to the world like he’s somehow this brave and moral leader. Even on social media, eventually people notice that the emperor has no clothes. Point is this: not everything needs to be put on social media…and clicks and views aren’t a great indicator of morality.
