A Response to YouTuber Jesse Ridgway on the Beauty of Every Human Life
- Mary Beth Bonacci
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
As one YouTuber announces the abortion of their child, who potentially would have had Down syndrome, the life of Christy Hockel Davenport offers a powerful witness to the beauty, dignity and purpose of every human person.
Just a few days ago, YouTuber Jesse Ridgway announced that he and his wife have made the “difficult decision” to abort their baby after testing indicated the child may be born with Down syndrome. In the announcement, he said, “Down Syndrome isn’t a ‘blessing,’ it is objectively s**tty from a health perspective. I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family … more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.”
There is somebody I desperately wish they could have known.
Christi Hockel Davenport passed away on April 25 at age 47. When she was born on Christmas Eve 1978, her mother, Judie, didn’t have the “advantage” of prenatal Down syndrome testing. Not that it would have mattered. She gave birth and fell in love with her daughter, chromosomes and all. Doctors advised Judie to institutionalize her.
“It was a ridiculous suggestion,” she later recalled. “Of course, I was going to take my daughter home.”
Take her home they did, to a bustling home with four brothers and a sister. There, she was raised not as a “Down syndrome patient” but as a unique individual with strengths and weaknesses just like anybody else. With the help of a special educator, she not only learned to read and write, but also became trilingual, fluent in English, Spanish and sign language. She graduated from high school. She attended community college, earning a 3.9 GPA. She learned to drive.
Soon, the world began to learn about this exceptional woman. She became a frequent speaker at Down syndrome conferences, keynoting the National Down Syndrome Congress’ 2009 conference. She was the face of that organization’s “More Alike Than Different” campaign, and she consulted with them to form their Self Advocate Council. She was featured in the 2023 documentary “Into the Spotlight,” about a musical theatre troupe of actors with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
And she fell in love. Austin Davenport shared her faith, her love of dance and her extra chromosome. Austin and Christi married. When they weren’t traveling the country performing their dances and giving talks, bearing witness to the beauty of a life lived with Down syndrome, they lived on their own in their home in Dallas, where she worked as a teacher’s aide at the local Catholic school.
Christi had a message for the world: “I am here. I live. I love. I matter.”
And she loved fiercely. She loved her family, who were the frequent recipients of her homemade cards, always with the reminder of how lucky they were to have her in their lives. She loved the children she worked with, whose problems she loved helping to solve. And she loved her Austin, and relished the domestic life they shared. When he passed away suddenly in 2021, she was shattered and grieved just as any other widow would.
“He always made me happy when he gave me hugs,” she said. “I miss his affectionate love.”
Christi’s mother once asked her if she wished she hadn’t been born with Down syndrome. Her reply: “Don’t ever say that to me, Mom. I do have Down syndrome, and don’t forget I have that extra 21st chromosome.”
Christi indeed did consider her life a blessing.
Christi didn’t see that chromosome as a defect. It was just one aspect of a total person — what made her, her. She did not want to be categorized, stereotyped. She wanted — demanded — to be seen as the unique individual that she was. And she wanted others who shared that extra chromosome to be seen that way, too — as people who live and love and follow the unique plan God has for their lives.
I think that, in this society, we have lost the sense that children are not ours. They belong to God — gifts that are entrusted to us as part of his greater plan, with purposes we may never see in this life. We have come to see them instead as our own personal possessions, that we can somehow tailor to suit our desires — and apparently, if they fall short, erase and try again. Jesse Ridgway said, “We are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome.” The better outcome they are apparently looking for is a “better” baby.
Perhaps if the Ridgways had known Christi, they would have recognized that every child is a miracle and that there is no “better” baby than the one God had planned for them since the beginning of time. And that if they had poured time and devotion and love into that child, they would have seen God’s plan unfold in amazing ways in his or her life. Yes, there would have been sacrifices. But there also would have been blessings — abundant, wonderful blessings. And so, so much love.
Toward the end of her life, Christi received the Woman in History Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. It was so well deserved. That one life made such a difference in the world. And I believe her impact is just beginning.
“Being smart is not always what makes people happy. Loving and being loved is what makes people happy.” Christina Hockel Davenport, 1978-2026
To read Christi’s full obituary and beautiful tribute, click here.
