How to find the best guy in every male friend group 😏👇👇

This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21. The choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans with no matter what we decided. I know some of you may be very disappointed to hear this news. We are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley. She underwent the procedure earlier this week and is on the mend. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but emotionally we are drained. Trisomy 21, also known as Down Syndrome, is caused by an extra chromosome. It is caused by an error in cell division, like a glitch. The odds of a baby having it is 1 in 1000. When I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic. If they’re a little slow intellectually, then we’ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, come what may…but I just didn’t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed. Once we made it public, it became clear that MOST people don’t know what Down Syndrome entails (and no, it’s not the same as Autism): 50% of babies with DS have heart defects. 75% will have hearing challenges. Over 50% will have vision problems. Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural issues with face, decreased lifespan, etc…Sadly, the list is long, feel free to look it up…Down Syndome isn’t a “blessing”, it is objectively shitty 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. The miscarriage risk is also close to 50%, which made matters worse…they may never see the light of day and it puts Ashley further at risk. We spoke with doctors, friends, family and genetic counselors and learned that up to 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Trisomy 21. This was WAY higher than I expected, I thought it would be lower given that I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby. I believe that’s because most terminations happen privately, it feels shameful. A lot of judgment being cast. You never think you’d be in this type of situation until it happens to you and then things change. To all of my fans who have weighed in on this topic who have Autism, Down Syndrome or any other conditions…we appreciate you. You matter a lot and we’re glad you’re here. I commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward. As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice. It will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome. Love you guys & thank you for understanding. ❤️

Having children has made me a lot more pro-choice. Taking care of children is hard. Part of the payoff is imagining them living full lives as adults. I don’t know how anyone could find the motivation to take care of them if they knew that wasn’t possible. That’s why only religious people don’t abort in these situations.

I've prayed to Jesus for 20 years that I wouldn't have to hear that jingle again. Now that I'm on the verge of enlightenment it should only take 20 more years of drinking to get it out of my head.

Celebrating 15 years of marriage ❤️

I'm not actually sure if I buy this line of thinking. Years ago, my mother used to spend a lot of time with Nepalese and Karen Thai refugees, who practiced arranged marriage. My mom asked them: "isn't that awful? Don't you want to marry for love?" They said that marrying for love seemed stupid to them, because the particular feeling of love you get at the beginning dissipates quickly. They said they suspected that's why Americans were always getting divorced; because they had expected an endless fairy tale. And they explained that in an arranged marriage, both parties just make the best of it at first, they may or may not be "compatible" or "in love," but that over time, the kind of commitment this type of marriage requires leads them to fall into a deeper, quieter, more enduring kind of love that sustains them across all of their life. So my mother used to tell me that who you marry shouldn't matter so much; it is about how you both approach the idea of marriage more than anything. And I think this is probably right. Refuse divorce at all costs; insist on deepening the connection, shape each other over time, and you will develop a symbiosis so deep it is unbreakable and un-changed by the vicissitudes of sentiment or "compatibility."

Gentlemen, we are seeing an endangered species. Feminism has destroyed this.

I think it is pretty much inevitable that moving back to the U.S. will mean sacrificing freedom for my kids. IOW, the timeline along which my kids will gain the ability to navigate their daily lives without an adult chaperone will be moved back.

People who missed out on having babies because of "messages" you received. What were these messages? As someone who writes articles for a living I would love to go as viral as these seemingly very potent girlboss "messages!"

Profound economic illiteracy. It's the number one policy problem on the Right. We ran the numbers people off and now all we have are these idiot literature prof types and they honestly think removing all women from the workforce would enrich the remaining men. NO concept of econ

Who remembers Anne Marie Slaughter’s ground breaking Atlantic article, “Why Women Still Can’t Have it All” from 2012? It was published the year I had my first child. The year I earned my PhD and landed a tenure track faculty position. And I knew, intuitively, Anne was right but slightly missing the mark: Women can’t have it all. But we don’t even want it all. Never have. Holistically speaking (as the new data indicates) women want to be wives and mothers who contribute inside and outside the home, prioritizing the former over the latter. We are designed to give and co-labor, yes. Waves of feminism tried to convince us we had more worth in our professional work. And the tsunami caused massive destruction to society, no doubt. But history is always a better teacher and guide than postmodern critical theories. Women didn’t change; the cultural narrative did. Let’s reclaim it.