Unveiling the Monument to the Victims of Abortion

Nashville, Tenn. — June 24, 2026 — Tennessee Right to Life celebrated the unveiling of the Monument to the Victims of Abortion on the Tennessee State Capitol grounds during a ceremony held on June 24, the fourth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision.

The ceremony marked four years since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling overturned Roe v. Wade, returning the authority to regulate abortion to individual states. Following the decision, Tennessee’s Human Life Protection Act took effect.

A Monument Years in the Making

Tennessee Right to Life supported the legislation creating the monument, which was introduced and passed during the 2018 legislative session.

Senator Steve Southerland and former State Representative Jerry Sexton, the original bill sponsors, attended the unveiling and reflected on seeing the project completed after eight years of work.

Several current and former legislators who supported the proposal in 2018 also attended, describing the unveiling as a historic occasion.

Inscription on the Monument

Former Representative Bill Dunn, a co-sponsor of the legislation, read the inscription engraved on the granite monument:

In memory of the victims of abortion.

The baby whose life was lost.
The mother who regrets.
The father who couldn’t protect.
The child who lost a sibling and
society which is coarsened by every
deliberate attack on innocent human life.

Remembering the Value of Human Life

Following the ceremony, Dunn noted that the monument now stands alongside the Capitol’s memorials honoring the victims of slavery and the Holocaust.

“These monuments that are already here recognize that atrocities occurred because human beings were treated as less than human,” Dunn said. “In both cases, the vulnerable and defenseless were subjected to the will of the powerful. The taking of the life of the baby in the womb is related to this brand of inhumanity.”

Recognizing Legislative Leadership

Tennessee Right to Life expressed appreciation to Senator Janice Bowling and Senator Tom Hatcher for helping bring the monument from legislation to reality.

Executive Director Daniel Breeden thanked both senators for their leadership.

“Without the work of Senators Bowling and Hatcher, the monument would have remained just a piece of legislation written in the law—Title 4, Chapter 8, Part 3, Section 4-8-305. Because of them, this is now a special place of remembrance, reflection, and truth. This monument is about making sure that future generations understand the value of every human life.”

Privately Funded Project

In accordance with the legislation authorizing the monument, no government funds were used to complete the project.