#383 Two Trisomy Moms Respond to a Viral Abortion Story | Carli Smith & Mandi Moseley
The Alisa Childers Podcast
Alisa Childers
4.8 • 5.4K Ratings
🗓️ 10 June 2026
⏱️ 90 minutes
🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When YouTubers Jesse and Ashley Ridgeway announced that they had aborted their baby after receiving a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis, the story sparked intense online debate. But what if the voices most needed in that conversation were the parents who received similar diagnoses—and chose life?
In this episode, Alisa is joined by two mothers whose children were diagnosed with chromosomal abnormalities before birth. Carli's son, Shep, has Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), and Mandi's daughter, Ellie, has Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome), a condition often described by medical professionals as "incompatible with life."
Together, they share their deeply personal journeys of receiving devastating prenatal diagnoses, navigating fear and uncertainty, confronting the messages they received from the medical community, and ultimately choosing to welcome their children into the world. They also respond to the Ridgeways' public statements and discuss the broader cultural implications of selective abortion based on disability.
This conversation explores suffering, trust in God, the value of every human life, and the unexpected joy that can emerge from circumstances many people are told to fear. Whether you're facing a difficult diagnosis, walking alongside someone who is, or simply seeking to think more deeply about these issues, this episode offers hope, perspective, and encouragement.
Mandi's resources:
* Instagram & YouTube: @alittleextramomming
* Website: extracarecollective.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This video is sponsored by:
SEVEN WEEKS COFFEE
Taste the Coffee that is Saving Lives.
Go to http://www.sevenweekscoffee.com/ for more information.
Use my code: ALISA
A'DEL NATURAL COSMETICS
Elevate your skincare routine with A'del's toxin-free cosmetics.
Experience the difference in quality and purity.
Go to www.adelnaturalcosmetics.com for more information.
Use my code: ALISA
GOOD RANCHERS
American Meat Delivered
Go to https://go.goodranchers.com/alisa for more information.
Use my code: ALISA
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Booking: www.alisachilders.com/booking
To help in your study of the Bible: www.logos.com/alisa
To Purchase the new CD, “Beauty from the Ash”, go to www.alisachilders.com/music
There you can get the CD, backing tracks, string charts, rhythm charts and stems.
Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/alisachilders
To order “Another Gospel”: www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/
To order “Live Your Truth": www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/
To order “The Deconstruction of Christianity”: https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/
Potential Sponsors: https://alisachilders.com/sponsor-request-form/
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Everybody said prepare for death, prepare for stillborn, prepare for miscarriage. |
| 0:06.1 | I had looked around at funeral homes, but we also had a nursery at home just in case. |
| 0:12.0 | I mean, we're having to live in two worlds with one foot in either scenario. |
| 0:16.9 | I thought, okay, Laura, when she's born, whatever's happening with her, whatever she's doing, whatever you're doing through her, that's where I'll go and take that as your answer. |
| 0:43.5 | Oh, friends, I have such an encouraging and uplifting episode for you today. I'm sure by now, |
| 0:49.5 | maybe you're aware of the online controversy surrounding a post from Jesse and Ashley Ridgeway. |
| 0:55.7 | The Ridgeways are YouTubers with Jesse's channel topping over 4 million subscribers, and they recently went viral when they announced that they had aborted their baby due to a trisomy |
| 1:00.8 | 21 diagnosis, which is Down syndrome. |
| 1:03.7 | So I was so deeply grieved when I saw this post and learned that they had been bringing |
| 1:08.7 | their audience along the whole journey of discovering |
| 1:11.3 | they were pregnant, learning they were expecting a baby boy, and then finally announcing their |
| 1:16.2 | decision to tragically abort their baby. And this made me think of my friend Carly, a young |
| 1:21.4 | mom with a beautiful boy named Shep, who also has trisomy 21. I texted Carly, and I just said, I know you've probably |
| 1:30.0 | seen this. I'm sure you have some thoughts. Do you want to share your thoughts about this on my |
| 1:34.5 | podcast? And she said, in fact, I do. And I'd like to introduce you to my friend Mandy, |
| 1:41.0 | whose daughter has trisomy 18, which is a different genetic abnormality called Edwards |
| 1:46.3 | disease. And typically when people get a diagnosis of trisomy 18, they are told that their |
| 1:52.2 | child is incompatible with life. They're told that the baby will probably die in the womb. |
| 1:57.3 | Or if they are born, they will only live a few minutes to a few hours, and there's really |
| 2:01.7 | just nothing we can do. |
| 2:02.9 | And Mandy has quite a different story to tell. |
| 2:05.8 | So both of these trisomy mamas joined me to talk about the controversy and to share their |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Alisa Childers, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Alisa Childers and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.