Texas about to Have a Life Monument Near the Capitol Building
Governor Greg Abbott recently signed into law a resolution to place a six-foot bronze statue of a mother with a preborn child on a two-foot base near the Texas Capitol building in Austin. This showed a strong commitment to defending life from the moment of conception. Senator Tan Parker, a classmate from the University of Dallas and close friend of mine, sponsored the measure, SCR19, in the Texas Senate, and Representative Caroline Harris Davila sponsored it in the Texas House. The resolution passed with large majorities in the Texas Senate and House. The statue that will be placed on permanent display is a replica of the National Life Monument in Washington DC and of the original that is in the church of San Marcello al Corso in Rome. The artist, Timothy Schmaltz, was thrilled to have his creation honored and remarked: “The viewers of the sculpture literally see themselves in the center of the work, symbolizing their connection to this creative source.”
Great credit must go to Tim and Pat Von Dohlen for the success of this initiative. Tim & Pat are the cofounders of the St. John Paul II Life Center and the Vitae Clinic in Austin. They were enthusiastic about the sculpture of the Madonna and preborn child Jesus when they first saw it in Rome in January 2022. After speaking to the sculptor to secure his consent to make a replica, they personally showed Texas Governor Greg Abbot and his wife Cecilia pictures of the statue and received their endorsement for the project. Tim served in the Texas House of Representatives for seven terms and knows how to shepherd legislation. It was first proposed in 2023 and passed in the Texas Senate but failed to come up for a vote in the House, so it was reintroduced and passed in the most recent legislative session.
The Von Dohlens showed their faith in the success of their efforts by commissioning the sculpture even before the resolution was passed! The possibility of having a statue approved for placement by the Texas State Preservation Board comes with a requirement that private not government funds pay for it. Pro-Life generosity is a big part of the story behind this monument that honors the unique role of mothers in bearing new human lives. Tim Von Dohlen testified: “Each one of us had a mother and each one of us cherishes memories of our mother. SCR19 recognizes the great significance of a woman and the importance of a mother to every family.”
As can easily be imagined, liberals decried the idea of a Texas Life Monument while pro-lifers celebrated. Senator Tan Parker remarked, “The monument provides a communal space for honoring the dignity of human life and the role of mothers—values that resonate deeply with many, many Texans.” It was not presented as a religious statue but rather as a mother with an unborn child cradled in a world-shaped womb. Journalists hostile to the pro-life message harped on the fact that this sculpture was originally intended to represent the Blessed Virgin Mary pregnant with Jesus. Jonathan Saenz, president of Texas Values said: “The Life Monument makes it clear that Texas is pro-life! The stain and history of abortion in our state is in the past, and the Life Monument shows we are turning the page away from days when over 50,000 babies a year lost their lives to abortion in Texas.”
Other states like Arkansas and Tennessee have passed resolutions for pro-life memorials. Many more should follow this good example. It is only just that the massive violation of human rights that was legalized abortion on demand should be officially repudiated by governmental authorities. In the US responsibility for the legalization of abortion falls mainly on the Supreme Court, so it would be fitting for the federal government to put into place a prominent memorial recognizing the judicial error of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision that overturned state laws restricting abortion for almost 50 years.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the enormous effort of the Knights of Columbus to support the pro-life cause with memorials to the unborn throughout the US. Since the 1990s more than 1,835 monuments have been built by Knights of Columbus councils in parishes and other locations. “These monuments, ranging from simple headstones to elaborate memorials, stand as testimony to one simple fact: Human life is a sacred gift from God to be protected and cherished at all stages from conception to natural death.” It was John Cardinal O’Connor, Archbishop of New York, who urged the Knights to do this, following the example of the “Tomb of the Unborn” erected on the campus of Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. They provide a place to remember what abortion does and to pray.
As a Catholic ethicist, I support the soundness of the moral intuition that urges individuals and institutions to memorialize the injustice of abortion and honor the innocent victims. We must express deep sorrow for the ongoing disregard for the right to life of our preborn brothers and sisters. Because this was permitted through legal action, it is incumbent on our governmental institutions to recognize the fault and to seek to ensure through memorials and other means that the cruel tragedy of abortion is remembered. This will help us avoid making such mistakes in the future.
Joseph Meaney received his PhD in bioethics from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome. His doctoral program was founded by the late Elio Cardinal Sgreccia and linked to the medical school and Gemelli teaching hospital. His dissertation topic was Conscience and Health Care: A Bioethical Analysis. Dr. Meaney earned his master’s in Latin American studies, focusing on health care in Guatemala, from the University of Texas at Austin. He graduated from the University of Dallas with a BA in history and a concentration in international studies. The Benedict XVI Catholic University in Trujillo, Peru, awarded Dr. Meaney an honorary visiting professorship. The University of Dallas bestowed on him an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters in 2022.