Commission Selects Design From Lawmakers for 'Monument to the Unborn'
The commission backed a cheaper proposal after fundraising stalled and a $1 million tomb design was rejected.
- On Tuesday, the Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission selected a "living wall" design for the monument to the unborn, featuring an inscription from Psalm 139.
- The commission's choice follows a 2023 law sponsored by Rep. Mary Bentley and Sen. Kim Hammer requiring the privately funded monument on Capitol grounds, after rejecting a $1 million tomb design due to cost concerns.
- Bentley and Hammer's proposal calls for an 8-by-16-foot wall with a concrete bench-retainer wall and native Arkansas trees, with Live Wall, LLC leading construction for more than $228,000.
- Secretary of State Cole Jester must approve the design before work begins, while the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas called the monument "an offensive and inappropriate use of public space."
- Construction cannot begin until donors deposit at least 10% of building costs into a preservation fund, with about $17,200 currently in the monument's trust fund.
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Commission selects design from lawmakers for 'monument to the unborn' | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
A state commission selected a design from two Arkansas lawmakers as the winning proposal for the "monument to the unborn" that will be placed on state Capitol grounds.
arkansasadvocate.com
Arkansas panel picks new design for anti-abortion monument at Capitol
From left: Lakey Goff, an artist from Hot Springs Village, addresses the Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission on May 12, 2026 while commissioners Michael Harry, Dave Roberts and Chairman Stephen Bright listen. (Photo by Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate)An Arkansas panel on Tuesday chose a design for the “monument to the unborn” at the state Capitol advocated by abortion opponents after months of frustration over the potential cost of the pro…
Arkansas panel picks new design for anti-abortion monument at Capitol - Stateline Publications
From left: Lakey Goff, an artist from Hot Springs Village, addresses the Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission on May 12, 2026 while commissioners Michael Harry, Dave Roberts and Chairman Stephen Bright listen. (Photo by Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate)An Arkansas panel on Tuesday chose a design for the “monument to the unborn” at the state Capitol advocated by abortion opponents after months of frustration over the potential cost of the pro…
Arkansas panel picks new design for anti-abortion monument at Capitol - Hillsboro Sentry Enterprise
From left: Lakey Goff, an artist from Hot Springs Village, addresses the Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission on May 12, 2026 while commissioners Michael Harry, Dave Roberts and Chairman Stephen Bright listen. (Photo by Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate)An Arkansas panel on Tuesday chose a design for the “monument to the unborn” at the state Capitol advocated by abortion opponents after months of frustration over the potential cost of the pro…
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