Jill Duggar’s husband, Derick Dillard, is under scrutiny for the bizarre way he reacted to Jill’s recent photo of her stillborn sister Jubilee.
Derick compared the tiny corpse’s feet to those of his wife … then explicitly stated that the deeply religious family will always be pro-life.
On Friday, Derick linked to article about Jubilee Shalom Duggar, the baby Michelle Duggar lost in 2011, that included a picture of her body.
The Duggars rarely mentions the baby, but earlier this week, Jill Duggar posted a tribute to Jubilee that included controversial photos.
Jill’s Instagram post included a touching message and was accompanied by images of the stillborn fetus’ tiny feet and hands (below).
Not surprisingly, seeing the images, which were first published in 2011, provoked a dramatic range of reactions, both good and bad.
The 25-year-old Jill wrote:
“5 years ago today my mom gave birth to my youngest little sister, Jubilee Shalom Duggar and Jesus welcomed her home to Heaven!”
“She is a testimony to every life being beautiful; at 18 weeks gestation, she was a beautiful baby with little blue eyes, 10 fingers & 10 toes!”
“She weighed 4 oz. and was 6 inches long. We miss you Jubilee and look forward to meeting you one day in Heaven!”
Long before the Duggars were as famous as they are now, Jim Bob and Michelle were accused of using Jubilee’s death for publicity.
They were also criticized for trying to have a 20th child in the first place; Michelle, now 50, was already 45 with 19 biological children.
That controversy eventually passed, however, and Jill’s post was flooded with positive responses from other mothers who have miscarried.
While the images were provocative and some people weren’t hugely supportive, by and large her fans found it inspiring and uplifting.
Derick’s more recent tweet, on the other hand?
“I never got to meet my youngest sister-in-law, but I know she has my wife’s foot. The Dillards will always be #prolife… from womb to tomb,” he wrote.
Really? Jill has the same feet as Jubilee?
Derick’s Twitter followers wondered why he was using a miscarriage his future mother-in-law suffered five years ago to promote his views.
Others called for him to focus on raising his son Israel instead of spending time on Twitter telling women what to do with their bodies.
“What does pro life have to do with miscarriage? Why use [this] to push your agenda? #lifeisnotanagenda #staahpalready,” one fan wrote.
The fan was far from alone in that viewpoint.
“Why not let her rest in peace instead of using her for cheap political propaganda? You have a beautiful child … celebrate him,” another tweeted.
Derick’s wife responded by … posting a declaration of admiration for her husband on Instagram and not mentioning any of the controversy.
Sounds about right for Jill, doesn’t it?
She called Derick “the most encouraging, sweet, Godly guy in the whole world,” and “#besthubbyever” alongside a photo of them kissing (above, top).
It’s been a controversial couple of weeks for the Dillards, who are also accused of lying to fans about a possible return to Central America.
Jill and Derick originally said that they would go back there in the fall, but now they’ve decided to stay home, at least through Christmas.
Fans are wondering if what they’re doing can truly me considered missionary work if they spend more time at the Duggar family compound.
Obviously, that’s their business, but when coupled with the fact that they routinely ask fans to help fund their efforts, it’s a little suspicious.
As for the reports that Jill is pregnant with her second child, the couple has yet to confirm or deny those exciting rumors … this week.
Give it time.
