The Arkansas Senate on Wednesday handily approved a bill that would require the secretary of state to permit and arrange the placement on the state Capitol grounds of a suitable monument commemorating "unborn children aborted" after the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion across the nation.
The Senate voted 25-7 to send Senate Bill 307 by Sen. Kim Hammer, R-Benton, to the House for further consideration.
On June 24, then-Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge signed a certificate implementing a 2019 law that bans abortions in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency, just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion across the nation.
[PHOTO GALLERY: Submissions for monument commemorating unborn children]
Hammer told the Senate the monument would recognize the 236,000 babies who were not born in Arkansas because of abortions in the period from 1973 until 2022 as a result of the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Roe v. Wade.
The monument would be privately financed under the bill, he said.
But Sen. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, who voted against the bill, said abortion has been a contentious issue in Arkansas and in the United States.
[DOCUMENT: Read the bill to create 'a monument to the unborn' » arkansasonline.com/32sb307/]
This bill would inject a contentious political issue onto the state Capitol grounds, and he said he expects the proposed monument would be very painful for many women.
Hammer said his aim is for the proposed monument to be tastefully done, adding there also are women who have regretted their abortions.
He said he hopes people who would see the monument would remember a chapter in the state's history in which "so many babies were aborted.
"It will give us an opportunity to hopefully fight to make sure that that history is never repeated," Hammer said.
Under Senate Bill 307, the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission would oversee the selection of the artist and design of the monument "with input from pro-life groups in Arkansas."
The secretary of state would have final approval of the selection of the artist and design of the monument selected by the commission before any construction is started under SB307.
Upon approval of the artist and design, the secretary of state would be required to arrange for the construction, placement and dedication of the monument on the state Capitol grounds by private entities at no expense to the state.
The bill would establish on the books of the state treasurer, the state auditor and the state's chief fiscal officer a trust fund to consist of gifts, grants and donations from individuals and organizations, and other funds as may be provided by law. The trust fund would be used exclusively for erecting and maintaining a suitable monument on the state Capitol grounds commemorating "unborn children aborted" during the Roe v. Wade era.
Afterward, Secretary of State John Thurston's spokeswoman Jaime Land said the Republican secretary of state supports SB307 and "the work to commemorate the sanctity of life and honor the children who have been lost."