Tennessee Monument to Unborn Children

Tennessee Monument to Unborn Children
Interactive map of Tennessee Monument to Unborn Children
LocationTennessee State Capitol, Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Coordinates36°9′56″N 86°47′0″W / 36.16556°N 86.78333°W / 36.16556; -86.78333
FabricatorMaryville Monument Company
MaterialGranite
Dedicated dateJune 24, 2026
Dedicated toChildren who were not born due to abortion or miscarriage

The Tennessee Monument to Unborn Children is a monument on the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It was dedicated in 2026 in recognition of children who were not born due to abortion or miscarriage.

Legislation for the monument was proposed in 2018 by two members of the Tennessee Republican Party in the Tennessee General Assembly. While popular among many Republican legislators, the proposal was largely opposed by members of the Tennessee Democratic Party and supporters of abortion rights. In 2025, several donations spurred renewed progress on the monument's erection. It was created by the Maryville Monument Company of Blount County, Tennessee, and consists of a granite block. It was dedicated on June 24, 2026, the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court of the United States's decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which allowed abortion to become illegal in Tennessee.

History

Legislation

The idea for a monument originated in 2018.[1] In February of that year, Steve Southerland of the Tennessee Senate and Jerry Sexton of the Tennessee House of Representatives (both members of the Tennessee Republican Party) served as sponsors for legislation, HB 2381, that would allow for the erection of a monument on the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol dedicated to "children who were not born due to miscarriage or abortion", per the legislation.[2] The two had previously worked together in 2016 on legislation to make the Bible the official state book, which was ultimately vetoed by Governor Bill Haslam.[3] Per HB 2381, the monument would not be erected using funding from the state government and would bear the following inscription:[4][5]

Tennessee Monument to Unborn Children, In Memory of the Victims of Abortion: Babies, Women, and Men.

The legislation was largely supported by other Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly,[6] including Senator Janice Bowling and Representative Bill Dunn.[1][4] In discussing the proposed monument, both Dunn and Sexton compared it to other memorials on the capitol grounds that recognized victims of the Holocaust and slavery.[2][4][7] Members of the Tennessee Democratic Party, including those representing the capital city of Nashville, Tennessee, were largely opposed to the monument.[2][8] Democratic Representative John Ray Clemmons of Nashville said of the purpose of the monument, "It's either to stigmatize women who've made the most difficult decision of their life, or those who didn't have a decision, or it's to make a political statement, or all of the above."[9][10]

In mid-April, the House of Representatives voted 63–15 in favor of the legislation.[2][4] Following this, the Senate subsequently voting 23–3 on a modified version of the legislation, prompting it to return to the House for another vote.[4][7] Ultimately, the legislation was approved by the legislature and became law that year.[11] If erected, it would be the second monument concerning abortion in the state, following the 1994 creation of the National Memorial for the Unborn in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[4][5] At the time the legislation was introduced, abortion was legal in the state.[1]

Creation efforts

In March 2023, HuffPost reported that there had been no donations made towards the monument's fund since the legislation had been presented approximately five years prior.[11] By this time, abortion had become illegal in the state, following the 2022 repeal of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court of the United States in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.[1][12] Additionally, in 2023, the government of Arkansas enacted legislation aiming to install a similar monument on the grounds of their capitol.[11][13]

According to reporting from the Nashville Scene, erecting the monument was a major priority of Senator Tom Hatcher, who assumed office in 2024 and campaigned to raise money for the monument.[1] In August 2025, the fund received a $4,000 donation from a private donor,[9][14] and by December, the monument fund had received two donations.[10] Hatcher raised money for the monument through a nonprofit he operated, Tom Hatcher Charity, with a majority of the donations coming from legislators.[1] Additionally, the charity would accept donations for the monument's upkeep.[12] Hatcher also negotiated with Maryville Monument Company of Blount County, Tennessee, on the monument's creation and installation, which cost $7,500 (equivalent to $7,700 in 2025).[1][12] By December 2025, organizers planned to unveil the monument in June 2026.[10] The project still remained largely unpopular with Democratic elected officials, with Senator Heidi Campbell requesting that the monument not be installed at the capitol.[10]

Dedication

The monument was dedicated on June 24, 2026,[1] on the fourth anniversary of the United States Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.[15][16] Approximately 125 people attended the ceremony, including about 50 elected officials,[12] as well as representatives from the anti-abortion group Tennessee Right to Life.[1][17] A protest against the monument was conducted at the same time as the dedication, led by Representative Aftyn Behn and involving the Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood.[1][12]

Design and location

The monument is made of granite and, per reporting from Chris Davis of WTVF, has the appearance of "a cemetery marker".[10] It bears the following inscription:[12]

In Memory of the Unborn / The Baby whose life was lost / The Mother who regrets / The Father who couldn't protect / The Child who lost a sibling / & Society, which is coarsened by every deliberate attack on human life / Dedicated June 24, 2026

The monument was installed on the southeast section of the capitol grounds.[12][15][18] Concerning the location, Sexton said, "It had to go here, because there's a Holocaust memorial on one side and a memorial to slavery on the other. What both of those have in common is that they weren't considered real people. Both of those memorials say, 'Never forget,' but here we are killing babies, and it's legal to do it."[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Herner, Hannah (June 24, 2026). "Tennessee Erects 'Monument to the Unborn' on Capitol Grounds". Nashville Scene. OCLC 1035130202. Archived from the original on June 25, 2026. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Porter, Tom (April 23, 2018) [April 21, 2018]. "Tennessee Lawmakers Want to Create a Monument for Unborn Children". Newsweek. ISSN 0028-9604. OCLC 818916146. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  3. ↑ Ebert, Joel (February 2, 2018). "Bill seeks to place monument to 'unborn children' on state Capitol grounds". The Tennessean. Gannett. ISSN 1053-6590. OCLC 6431386. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vagianos, Alanna (April 25, 2018). "Tennessee Senate Passes A Bill To Erect A Memorial To 'Victims Of Abortion'". HuffPost. Archived from the original on December 16, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  5. 1 2 McArdle, Mairead (April 26, 2018). "Tennessee Set to Erect Monument to Victims of Abortion". National Review. ISSN 0028-0038. OCLC 1759389. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  6. ↑ Castillo, Monica (April 30, 2018). "Tennessee lawmakers plan on erecting memorial to 'unborn children'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Archived from the original on November 16, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Gstalter, Morgan (April 25, 2018). "Tennessee state Senate passes bill to build monument for 'victims of abortion'". The Hill. Nexstar Media Group. ISSN 1521-1568. OCLC 31153202. Archived from the original on December 5, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Tennessee House passes bill calling for monument for unborn children". CBS News. Associated Press. April 20, 2018. Archived from the original on September 14, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Gessner, Tori (October 2, 2025) [October 1, 2025]. "Tennessee's 'Monument to Unborn Children' to be built on Capitol grounds". WKRN-TV. Archived from the original on January 4, 2026. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Davis, Chris (December 29, 2025). "Tennessee Capitol to install memorial for unborn children, sparking renewed controversy". WTVF. Archived from the original on January 22, 2026. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 Grenoble, Ryan (March 30, 2023). "Tennessee's State-Sanctioned Anti-Abortion Monument Has Received Zero Donations". HuffPost. BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cooper, Clint (July 29, 2026). "Free Press Opinion: Tennessee memorial to unborn finds closure after eight-year effort". Chattanooga Times Free Press. WEHCO Media. Archived from the original on July 18, 2026. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  13. ↑ Lenora, Josie (January 3, 2024). "Arkansas plans to memorialize the end of legal abortion in the state". Morning Edition. NPR. Archived from the original on September 21, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  14. ↑ Brown, Kassidy (October 2, 2025). "TN lawmakers approve donation to build monument honoring aborted children at State Capitol". WSMV-TV. Archived from the original on October 3, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  15. 1 2 Thornton, Azya (June 29, 2026). "Lawmakers Unveil Monument to Unborn at State Capitol". Tennessee Bar Association. Archived from the original on July 25, 2026. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  16. ↑ Steward, Jaxon (June 24, 2026). "Tennessee Republicans unveil Capitol monument recognizing unborn children". WBBJ-TV. Archived from the original on June 26, 2026. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  17. ↑ Fliflet, Henry (June 26, 2026). "TN Capitol unveils 2nd unborn memorial on Roe overturn anniversary". The Tennessean. USA Today Co. ISSN 1053-6590. OCLC 6431386. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  18. ↑ Lewis, Kendal (June 25, 2026) [June 24, 2026]. "Tennessee Republicans unveil monument honoring unborn children at State Capitol". WZTV. Archived from the original on July 15, 2026. Retrieved July 25, 2026.

Further reading

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