- The $55,000 abortion monument will be located in the Arkansas state capitol.
- The memorial was proposed by State Sen. Kim Hammer R-Benton
- Proposals included a bronze statue of a baby, an empty tomb and a living wall.
Arkansas officials have unveiled plans for a “monument to the unborn” to commemorate fetuses aborted in the years before the procedure was banned in the state.
The monument will be located at the State Capitol to commemorate pregnancies terminated from 1973 to 2022, when the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and that Arkansas made abortion illegal except to save a mother’s life.
Proposals for the memorial included a bronze statue of a blindfolded baby posed atop an umbilical cord and placenta, an empty grave and a monument incorporating facts about children in care.
Nine applications were received in total, with Capitol Arts and Grounds favoring a living wall of flora and fauna designed by local artist Lakey Goff.
Secretary of State John Thurston will make the final decision on the $55,472 monument.
Arkansas officials have unveiled plans to erect a “monument to the unborn” to commemorate fetuses aborted in the years before the procedure was banned in the state.
Proposals for the memorial included a bronze statue of a blindfolded baby sitting atop an umbilical cord and placenta, an empty grave and a monument incorporating facts about children in the care system.
The memorial was proposed by Republican Sen. Kim Hammer under Act 310, which authorizes Thurston to commission “an appropriate monument commemorating unborn children aborted during the era of Roe v. Wade.”
The plans faced cross-party opposition, with many representatives expressing concern about whether an abortion monument could be “in good taste.”
Commission member Tony Leraris previously said he was “stunned” by the suggestion and was the only member to abstain from voting, saying he found many of the suggestions “repugnant.”
“Personally, I just don’t know how you can tastefully immortalize an aborted fetus,” he told NPR.
“I find the whole subject almost indescribable and to think that we should erect a monument on the Capitol grounds to immortalize this. I just don’t see this topic as something we need to do.
Commissioner Beth Gipe dismissed proposals for the living wall and said it should “at least be beautiful and not tragic.”
“It’s the least offensive if we have to respond to this accusation,” Gipe told the outlet.
The green wall was designed by Goff who referenced a similar installation in Liberty Park in New York, the site of the September 11 attacks.
The memorial was proposed by Republican Sen. Kim Hammer under Act 310, which authorizes the secretary of state to commission “an appropriate monument commemorating unborn children aborted during the era of Roe v. Wade.”
The monument will be located at the State Capitol to commemorate pregnancies terminated from 1973 until 2022, when the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Goff said in his brief that green walls are “healing, innovative and inspiring.”
Its design consists of four 10-foot by 33.3-foot concrete panels covered in plants.
The concept also includes seats, lights and speakers playing waterfall sounds.
However, concerns over cost mean the finalized version of its design is still up for debate.
The use of perennials such as English ivy has been proposed as a way to reduce maintenance costs.
“One thing that we always keep in mind, you know, here when we build a new monument or anything around the Capitol is that we have to understand that it’s going to have to stand the test of time.” , Brent said. Stamp, the Capitol’s facilities director, told Arkansas Online.
“He will be here long after we are gone. And maintenance and recurring costs are a major issue, something that is always at the forefront of our minds.
Capitol Arts and Grounds is scheduled to vote on its selection on May 14.
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