Plans to install a memorial for unborn children at the Tennessee Capitol sparks debate

A new memorial honoring unborn children, set to be unveiled on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade’s end, is sparking debate among Tennesseans, WTVF in Nashville reported last week.

Approved by state lawmakers more than seven years ago, the first phase of a granite memorial honoring unborn children appears to be underway and is slated for installation on the grounds of the Tennessee Capitol on June 24.

"We just want to honor the fact they were created in the image of God, they were human beings, and we need to show some reverence for humans and our fellow man," State Sen. Janice Bowling, a Republican who helped front the effort, said, per WTVF.

The privately funded memorial is expected to resemble a cemetery marker and will feature language reflecting grief and sorrow, the outlet reported.

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Bowling said the memorial will be larger than a typical cemetery marker and described the space as one meant for "reflection, for remembrance, for closure for some people."

Democratic opposition has remained strong since the proposal was first introduced, however, with Nashville Rep. John Ray Clemmons accusing the memorial of "stigmatizing" women who were forced to make "the most difficult decision of their life" or those who "didn’t have a decision," according to WTVF. 

Critics have also questioned whether placing the memorial on Capitol grounds amounts to the state endorsing a specific viewpoint on abortion, arguing it could further deepen divisions in the ongoing debate over reproductive rights.

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"This is a very divisive issue, and just for that reason alone, it should not be something we're memorializing up at the capitol," Rep. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, said, per WTVF.

"I know the intent is to reflect compassion, but really it reflects control because it's really about erasing women's agency, reducing complex medical realities to political symbolism," she added.

Bowling dismissed the rhetoric, defending the memorial by pointing to its support from both chambers of the legislature.

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The project faced years of delay because state law requires private funding, with movement resuming only after a $4,000 private donation was made and approved by the State Building Commission last August.

Bowling said fundraising efforts for the project will resume, with additional proceeds going toward flowers to be placed at the marker, WTVF reported.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Tennessee Secretary of State's communications team for comment.