Pro-abortion sculpture damaged at University of Houston

A pro-abortion sculpture at the University of Houston has been decapitated in a potential act of vandalism, the school says.

As previously stated by The Dallas ExpressThe statue was erected earlier this year. According to the artist, the work is a testament to abortion advocacy. It is titled “Witness” and depicts a female figure with goat horns, tentacled arms and a lace collar around her neck.

“This luminous silhouette is a nod to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as seen in the detail adorning her collar. With Ginsburg’s death and the overturning of Roe, women’s constitutional progress has been called into question,” sculptor Shahzia Sikander wrote in her artist statement.

The statue was met with protests and denunciations earlier this year by pro-life groups, The Texan reported.

Images of the decapitated sculpture were obtained by campus police.

“We were disappointed to learn that the statue was damaged early Monday morning as Hurricane Beryl hit Houston. The damage appears to have been intentional,” University of Houston executive director of media relations Kevin Quinn said, according to the New York Times.

The sculptor condemned the alleged act of vandalism.

“It’s cowardice to vandalize during a storm. Trying to create false miracles because they have nothing else to offer, but this violent narrative cannot be masked by the storm. I urge the University of Houston to release the security camera footage to show that this was an intentional act of hateful vandalism,” Sikander said, according to The Texan.

The advocacy organization Texas Values ​​issued a statement saying speculation about the vandalism unduly points the finger at anti-abortion groups.

“The university is launching a criminal investigation to determine how the head was removed. By raising the possibility of vandalism, the media blames pro-life groups like Texas Values ​​and Texas Right to Life for vocally voicing our opposition to the statue and mobilizing support in the Houston community for its removal. The articles and the university give little consideration to Hurricane Beryl, an act of God, as a possibility for the missing head of the statue displaying satanic imagery,” Texas Values ​​said in a statement.

Texas Values ​​President Jonathan Saenz argued the sculpture should be removed now that it has been damaged.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of a possible senseless attack. We would never condone such violence and destruction of property, but since the statue has been defaced, it is probably best for the university to remove it. It appears that the statue will only draw negative attention to the university and become a distraction from the university’s intended educational goal,” Saenz said in a statement.

The Dallas Express I reached out to the University of Houston media services for comment but did not receive a response by publication.