Tennessee to install Capitol memorial for unborn children
Tennessee lawmakers are moving ahead with a privately funded granite memorial for unborn children on the state Capitol grounds, set for installation June 24 to coincide with the anniversary of Roe v. Wade’s overturning, after a $4,000 private donation approved last August restarted the long-delayed project. Backed by Republican Sen. Janice Bowling and opposed by Democratic legislators including Rep. John Ray Clemmons and Rep. Heidi Campbell, the cemetery-style marker is intended as a place of reflection and closure but has sparked criticism that it stigmatizes abortion and signals state endorsement of a particular position on reproductive rights.
📌 Key Facts
- The Tennessee Capitol memorial to unborn children was approved more than seven years ago but only moved forward after a $4,000 private donation was approved by the State Building Commission in August.
- The granite memorial, described as larger than a standard cemetery marker and designed for reflection and remembrance, is scheduled to be installed on June 24 on the Capitol grounds.
- Republican Sen. Janice Bowling frames the memorial as honoring unborn children "created in the image of God," while Democratic Reps. John Ray Clemmons and Heidi Campbell argue it stigmatizes women and politicizes a divisive issue on state property.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2021, the abortion rate in Tennessee was 25.1 per 1,000 Black women aged 15-44, compared to 4.4 per 1,000 White women, while Black residents comprise about 16% of Tennessee's population and White residents about 73%.
Abortion Reporting: Tennessee (2021) — Charlotte Lozier Institute
According to a 2022 Vanderbilt Poll, 70% of Democrats in Tennessee favored abortion being legal, while only 8% of Republicans preferred pro-choice policies.
Vanderbilt poll asks voters about criminal justice reform, abortion and more — WATE
Nationally, approximately 92% of abortions are performed for socioeconomic reasons, with 0.4% due to rape or incest, 0.3% due to risk to the woman's life, 2.2% due to other physical health concerns, and 2.0% due to fetal abnormalities.
Fact Sheet: Reasons for Abortion — Charlotte Lozier Institute
In a 2023 Vanderbilt Poll, 82% of registered voters in Tennessee, including majorities from all political parties, believed abortion should be legal if it saves the mother's life, despite Tennessee's law lacking such exceptions.
Vanderbilt Poll: Tennessee abortion law out of step with public opinion — WKRN