Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R.) signed a bill on Thursday to install a "monument to the unborn" at the state capitol in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturn of Roe v. Wade, the Associated Press reported.
State Senate Bill 307 will create a monument to memorialize "unborn children aborted" in the state before the overturn of Roe on June 24, 2022. After the High Court struck down the ruling, Arkansas enacted a total ban on abortion except in cases of emergency when the life of the mother is in danger.
"Many tax dollars went to organizations that supported and encouraged abortions," state Sen. Kim Hammer (R.), a bill sponsor, told ABC News. "I will defend remembering the 250,000 innocent babies through a visual reminder in the hopes that we will never repeat a terrible chapter in our nation's history."
The prospective monument will contrast with the pro-abortion statue New York City Democrats installed earlier this year above the NYC courthouse. City officials unveiled the eight-foot statue of a horned woman with tentacle arms in order to promote abortion rights and show "the resilience of women."
Republicans criticized the statue's aesthetic qualities, which some have called demonic.
"Was there any public input whatsoever before a satanic golden medusa demon with tentacle arms was installed atop a downtown courthouse?" NYC Councilwoman Vickie Paladino asked.