In the last week, an influencer couple has been at the center of controversy after terminating their pregnancy at 21 weeks due to tests showing the baby would have Down syndrome.
For one local organization and mother, the news was personal.
For the last 18 years, Down Country founder Kate Dougherty said having her son, Elliot, has been one of the biggest blessings of her life.
“We very quickly realized that with Down syndrome, it can be used as a voice for every child,” Dougherty said. “Because techniques and strategies they use to help a child with Down syndrome, or even the medical research, it benefits everyone, all of us.”
Jesse Ridgway and his wife Ashley make lifestyle vlogs, and recently made a social media post announcing their decision to terminate the pregnancy.
Dougherty said what frustrated her most about the post was what she described as misinformation surrounding Down syndrome diagnoses.
“When you get a prenatal diagnosis such as that, they give you a laundry list. Like when Elliot popped out, it’s a laundry list,” Dougherty said. “And in his piece, he referenced vision problems, heart problems, all of those. Well, I’m going to ask you right now, do you know anybody who wears glasses? Because I do. And guess what? That’s considered. When they’re listing those vision problems, it’s just something as simple as wearing glasses.”
The recent news also makes Dougherty feel she needs to work harder to get her message across.
“They made it more difficult for us, because for people who don’t think he can, they just reinforced that in front of about 20 million views,” Dougherty said. “So we’re going to have to work harder, and we’re going to have to work longer, and you’re (Elliot) going to have to stuff more envelopes so we can change the way people see you.”
Since being born, Elliot has celebrated his 18th birthday and made lasting memories, including meeting basketball star Jayson Tatum, country singers Chris Janson and Conner Smith, among other experiences.
“We’re all going to need a little help,” Dougherty said. “I mean, a newborn baby needs assistance. They are not capable of surviving on their own. As we age, we’re all going to need some level of support. So this concept that we’re all just self-made, we don’t need anything, it’s erroneous. I mean, a person is valuable because they’re a person and they’re a human.”