Jill Dillard: Duggar Daughter’s Next Child ‘Will Come About Biologically’ Despite Zika Concerns, Husband Hopes

While viewers worried about Zika virus and Jill Dillard, the Duggar daughter and husband Derick have revealed that they do indeed intend to continue with plans for another biological child, despite the risks. In fact, though Zika is considered a danger to unborn babies, Derick Dillard has made jokes on social media, hinting that he just isn’t concerned. Still, viewers have debated whether the couple might hold off on another pregnancy, for the sake of the baby. Now the answer appears to be clear: no.

Back in February, Derick Dillard laughed off the concerns social media followers expressed about the safety of a future baby if Jill got pregnant in an area with risks of Zika virus. Posting a photo of a bug spray can, Dillard joked, “I knew I could count on Walmart to have what I need to combat that Zika Virus!”

The viewers were not amused.

@derick4Him condoms would be a better form of protection from Zika. It's not worth risking the baby have microcephaly.

— Lisa Villeneuve (@VilleneuveLisa) April 13, 2016

@derick4Him silly and inappropriate

— port_mam_in_sunlun (@ironmamcleaning) February 27, 2016

Jill’s parents, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, believe that hormonal contraceptives cause abortions. While children, especially adult children, can certainly have beliefs that differ from those of their parents, there has never been any particular indication that Jill has made different decisions about pregnancy than the ones she was taught in the Duggar household.

Then, there’s the perception of sibling rivalry between Jill and her sister Jessa Seewald. While that’s never been part of the Duggar storyline, it is something that viewers have speculated about. Relevance? Well, quite recently Jessa announced the next Duggar grandchild’s upcoming arrival.

If it’s true that there’s a sibling rivalry, Jill could be feeling some pressure for the Dillard family to catch up. Jessa’s second baby, based on the February 2017 date in the video above, will arrive before Spurgeon is 16 months old. Meanwhile, Israel Dillard is 18 months — so unless Jill has been keeping a pregnancy secret for around three months, the Dillard kids are already spaced at more than two years apart.

While spacing babies further apart is desirable for some parents, close spacing can be a key component in Quiverfull and similar movements, since it increases the number of babies one mother has time to birth in her lifetime. Does Jill Dillard already feel as though she’s falling behind her sister?

Of course, it isn’t like pregnancy talk is only recently surfacing in the Duggar family. Jill and Jessa have both talked freely about having more babies, and about adoption. They even said at one point that perhaps they’d both be pregnant again at the same time.

So, the recent video in which Derick Dillard declared that he and Jill think they’ll have another baby soon isn’t a surprise. Most viewers probably expected both married Duggar daughters to expand their families in the relatively near future.

The clip features Jill and Derick on a dinner date, with Israel presenting Fathers’ Day gifts to Derick. Afterward, Derick speaks of adding another child to their family, saying he and Jill hope to do so soon. Dillard pauses to mention the possibility of an adoption, before declaring, “Personally I believe our next child will come about biologically.”

What’s a bit more astounding about it, though, is the timing — Dillard makes his declaration in a clip of his and Jill’s anniversary dinner, which is doubling as a Father’s Day outing (their anniversary is June 21). In June, the Dillard family was still in Central America. They’ve also recently confirmed that they are going back to Central America, not staying in the Duggar family home in Arkansas.

They haven’t been too specific about when they’ll return to Central America, and there’s at least one Duggar wedding coming up that the Dillard family might stick around to attend, plus the wedding of Derick’s brother, Dan Dillard. However, they continue to call it a short visit.

Together, the revelations from Derick and Jill Dillard suggest the Duggar daughter plans to keep trying for another pregnancy, while continuing to live in Central America, despite concerns from the medical community about Zika virus.

[Featured Image by TLC/YouTube]