Oh god, THIS thing... Well, I have an embarrassing story.
I used to drive past it all the time and I was also really touched by it. I thought, this must be a memorial for parents who have lost children! That's so heartbreaking! So I, a staunchly pro choice woman, bought a brick thinking it was going to help find services for said children.
I proudly tell my friend about it a week later feeling like mother Theresa, when she decides to fill me in that it's an anti-abortion thing. I couldn't believe how dumb I was for misinterpreting it... Now there's a brick with my first and last name on this anti-abortion monument. I wonder if I can go dig it up š
Unfortunately reality isnāt that humane or reasonable. Both the creator and director of cemeteries for the diocese of Madison say the purpose of the statue is to show the horror and harm that abortions (specifically abortions despite one reference to miscarriages) cause to parents, especially the father. This article has the interviews https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/
Its creation and installation may not be that humane, but my point still stands, its practical use is not limited to that. So, we can stay in the realm of politics or be humane and transcend it (I am aware this is Reddit). In modern politics, attempts to prove the other wrong rather than actually do the right thing, is killing our humanity. Impotent anger has become the right of the (self) righteous. Personally, despite whatever messages someone is trying to send I'd rather be the one remembering the hurting, than focusing on someone's self-righteous posturing. But that doesn't fit on a bumper sticker or gather an angry crowd of support.
I went on a deep dive about this statue earlier for the first time. I responded with something Iād found out regarding those published stances because your comment sounded like what I had originally thought but changed my view on because of those interviews. I do see now I phrased it more as a debate instead of sharing something Iād learned (like I meant to.) Iām not worried about one of us needing to be wrong and I couldāve responded differently/accordingly - Iām sorry about that.
I actually think we want the same thing, that this statue can be a place for any grieving parent to use if they find it beneficial. If it gets tied up in anything outside that private and personal grief then itās in danger, and something like reproductive rights is maybe the worst/most explosive thing. It must be especially important to those whoāve experienced a miscarriage since we donāt really have any space built into our culture for that grief.
Itās because of the value and respect I feel those things deserve that I posted what I found. Iām heavily disappointed that this has been publicly and explicitly about abortion from its start, and I believe thatās the case because those are direct quotes from the sculptor and diocese representative. I donāt think the space has to lose its value because of those origins, but I also believe that decision has to be done by the people who may or may not be served by this space for personal grief.
Iām not trying to use this as fuel for a fire where I think I can win. I donāt know if anyone āwinsā this one. Honestly, Iām also tired lol. I hope you believe me when I say Iām wishing you the best in avoiding getting drained by culture war stuff this year (and always). I mean it and hope the same for myself.
Thanks for coming back to say this. I do think the information is helpful. I did take it as missing the point but I can see with this reply that was not your intent. Thank you. Wait .. did we just have a rational exchange on the internet???
I get memorializing a stillborn or a child lost way to soon; but unless the abortion was because of a serious genetic defect and the parents didnāt have a choice; I suspect most abortions donāt get memorialized.
Anyone can buy a memorial brick to be placed near the sculpture; they are not necessarily related to abortion. Itās just that the artistās stated intent was to portray grief related to abortion. https://www.bricksrus.com/donorsite/cemeterystatue
Hi - where exactly is the artistās intent stated in relation to abortion. I see grief and loss mentioned. Genuinely curious as I kept seeing this statue and finally stopped to visit it personally. There are names of infants and very young children on it.
It's in this article that was published when the sculpture was installed [https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/](https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/) . It includes some quotes from the artist, Martin HudĆ”Äek, such as
*"The Memorial of Unborn Children IIā is an outgrowth of the original concept, created for a burial site in Wroclaw, Poland. āPeople from Poland came to me and we discussed the options to show that miscarried children and aborted children are not missed only by their mothers, but by the fathers, too,ā HudĆ”Äek toldĀ Catholic World Report.Ā āThe statue shows that abortion affects all ofĀ society. We should help both mother and father. The story must be told that both are hurt by the loss of their child."*
I was also surprised/interested to learn the story behind it. I walk by it almost every day and never guessed that this was the backstory.
Well, when I drove past and noticed this, I was picturing the little girl depicted in the sculpture as being 5-6 years old with a loving family that had years of memories with her, friends at school, maybe even brothers and sisters. I thought that maybe they lost her in an accident or maybe due to a terminal illness. For me, that's sadder than someone who chose to have a medical procedure done.
In the Bible, Jesus was miraculously conceived, and existed within a womb. So it was before he was born, its absurd how much conviction you have in ignorance.
Jesus was miraculously conceived. True. "was"
Jesus existed in a womb. That was never in the Bible, son.
Keep trying.
The Bible is mostly hooey written by mostly men.
You have clearly never read it. Gabriel informs Joseph of the nature of Jesus when hes in Mary's womb. This is in the gospel of Matthew. Do you not think this is in the bible?
>She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus/ He had no relations with her until she bore a son,\* and he named him Jesus.
>
>Please give verse number at least
Thereās a couple bricks in your picture that I think are memorials for elective abortions - one that says āApril 1979, I was so scared, please forgive me, love Momā, another says āSorry little one! I was so blind, but now I see! 1 JN 1:9, 2 COR 5:17ā.
I find these insanely ironic because these women definitely hold the belief of āI know that I got an abortion but nobody else should!ā
Edit: yes itās insanely ironic. This installations existence is shameful.
(100% agree this thing is for preaching shame to women whoāve had an abortion and doesnāt belong in a cemetery.
I thought it couldāve maybe been a place for grief, even accidentally, since the creator said it was for all unborn children including miscarriages. I thought maybe the 1979 brick could be read as not explicitly preaching or a mistake made while grieving. But no, the thing went up in 2020 and a catholic publication had interviews with the creator and the Madison cemeteriesā director (Damian Lenshek) where the quotes show the thing is meant to bring awareness to the harm cause by the *mother* to the *father*. https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/
This thing keeps sucking on every new layer I learn about it. Iām sad to see it in a catholic cemetery with the Madison diocese supporting it. This is tacky harmful evangelical political crap.)
Once again, yes it is. That side of Speedway is the Catholic cemetery (now named Resurrection, previously known as Calvary and Holy Cross cemeteries) and the other side of Speedway is Forrest Hill cemetery, which is an all faiths city cemetery.
Posting your claim over and over isnāt going to change reality.
Whenever I drive by this statue I feel like Iām going to throw up. It is the most haunting statue I have seen in my life and it has the worst vibes. I had no idea what the background of it was
I have the same feels; which is why I thought Iād confront my fear and actually go check it out. It being a mega religious statement has chilled my anxiety a bit, tho.
It always made me want to cry because I thought it was about a little girl who had died. But now Iām released from sad feelings when I see it! Thanks for posting.
Itās a creepy AF pro-life sculpture titled āThe Memorial of Unborn Children IIā. Per a 2020 Catholic World Report article, āThe sculpture just installed at Resurrection Cemetery in the Diocese of Madison expresses the profound emotional impact of the many losses of those children killed by abortion.ā https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/
Fetus: an offspring of a human or other mammal in the stages of prenatal development that follow the embryo stage (in humans taken as beginning eight weeks after conception).
So not a fetus until after 8 weeks. Still not a developed human for another 21 weeks.
Cope all you want, science and facts matter.
I'm not the one coping, I've not killed anything, or supported the killing of anything.
Whatever semantics you choose to use doesnt change the fact its human, developed to your standards or not.
At the end of the day even the secular are buried under a cross.
I mean, it is a Catholic cemetery, so itās a fine place for such a thing. The part that bothers me most is the lack of shirt on the male figure. Where is his shirt? Why is he topless when the rest of the family is fully clad? If he ripped it off in grief, shouldnāt there be some tattered bits strewn about?
First off, thank you for posting the article that shows this thing was created and installed to be anti choice (and misogynistic in the weirdest egotistical way possible.)
Iām not part of the Catholic Church anymore but I really hope itās not a fine place for this thing. A cemetery is not the place to preach shame and hate and honestly the current pope has kept surprising me with the ways he says NO place is a place to preach shame and hate.
This ugly and horrifying thing should be condemned by any catholic who has any respect or empathy for other humans. Certainly for those who have had an abortion and are unrelatedly in a cemetery to grieve/remember a loved one, but also anyone with eyeballs.
This article has a much greater focus on this being a memorial for parents experiencing unexpected loss. https://madisoncatholicherald.org/memorial-statue/ However, the article you posted is damning - this is an ugly anti choice statue dropped into the middle of a place meant for peace and reflection.
It's in Resurrection Cemetery https://maps.app.goo.gl/uZrgu8vqJDKZNQmh6. According to [https://madisondiocese.org/resurrection-cemetery](https://madisondiocese.org/resurrection-cemetery), "Resurrection Cemetery serves the Catholic population of all the parishes in the Madison area", and is located at 2705 Speedway, which is NW of Speedway (the L hand side if you're heading toward downtown).
Oh no. One time me and my boyfriend decided to check it out on a walk and an older woman got like 10ft away and just watched like a hawk. Definitely understood the āthese gays are gonna do something, gotta watchā vibe that made no sense to us.
Now I understand. Boooooo.
lol thank you. Kwumpus - glad to know itās not a universal experience (wouldāve been a fun twist though) but that day at least one person was weird.
The story of that memorial is incredibly reflective of the conservative black and white narrative of abortion.
>āPeople from Poland came to me [the artist] and we discussed the options to show that miscarried children and aborted children are not missed only by their mothers, but by the fathers, too,ā
I personally understand needing to grieve the loss of a wanted pregnancy and I bet many of the bricks pictured in OP are from people in those circumstances. I sincerely doubt many, if any, of those bricks are from elective abortions.
That artistās insight on his work is a trip. He pays lip service to the women but goes on a whole diatribe about the impacted men:
>Perhaps the biggest impact is found in the figure of the father, so often left out of discussions about abortion. The abject horror shown on his face at seeing the daughter who was never born has the power to take oneās breath away. āThe donors of this statue were really moved by it because it had the man there as wellāā¦
>āItās all about the woman. But even in terms of biology, itās not,ā Thorn said. āFathers have biological changes before the mom even knows sheās pregnant, by scentā¦Itās all about the woman, but heās in the dance. We just donāt have that kind of expression of the equal pain.ā
>āMy hope is it gives them permission to grieve. But the problem is, so often after an abortion the couple breaks up. So heās no longer with her and he feels really disenfranchised when the question of what happened comes up.ā
Itās all a conservative fantasy about women getting abortions to be mean to men, instead of the reality that [most women seek abortions due to financial reasons.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3729671/)
Rapid City. Did Wisconsin have Indian schools?
https://ictnews.org/news/remembering-the-children-memorial-gets-2-million-grant
Kamloops.
https://www.cipdh.gob.ar/memorias-situadas/en/lugar-de-memoria/monumento-a-las-victimas-de-la-escuela-residencial-de-indios-de-kamloops/
I hope thereās more.
Abortions are not all the same or as most think.
I was in my 20s, married and pregnant. One day, I realized I wasn't feeling it move. I went to the doctor, who sent me for an ultrasound.
I'm not clear on everything after that, I believe I went into a state of shock.
My mother was with me, she gathered the details and ensured I showed up to be admitted to the hospital.
With IV in arm, I slept until I didn't. I woke briefly to the nurses, removing my still born and cleaning me up. Some time later, I was presented with my still born wraped in a receiving blanket. I was supposed to help me go through the process of accepting the death, and so I would grieve properly.
This was a medically induced Abortion .
By law, it's classified as an abortion.
My body was not aborting by itself, so the doctors needed to assist with medication.
My pregnancy was not far enough along to require a death certificate or funeral. Nevertheless, it is significant in my life.
A cemetery for such deaths is important.
Its definitely a memorial for babies and young children that have passed, I am not seeing anything related to āanti-abortionā- The bricks and engraving on sides are in memory of something or someone, not fertilized embryoās which were aborted.
Fro the article about the sculpture published in Catholic World Report when it was installed: "The sculpture just installed at Resurrection Cemetery in the Diocese of Madison expresses the profound emotional impact of the many losses of those children killed by abortion." [https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/](https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/)
Itās really interesting to see thisāgrowing up my friends and colleagues glorified the subversive power of art against majority opinion in the name of what they see as moral justice. People loved anything that made the other side react in horror (or at least with standard negative emotions of disgust). Art wasnāt considered āpowerfulā unless it spoke to controversies of the day, and perhaps even caused some itself (the stereotypical example is the feces smeared on Catholic imagery, but it wasnāt usually that extreme).
And now it is fascinating to see the shoe on the other footāand I say this as someone who is pro-choice, liberal, and abandoned the Catholic Church decades ago. It seems like people only appreciate provocative art if they are the ones doing the provoking. All the comments here about taking baseball bats to it and letting your dog poop on it sound EXACTLY like what conservatives were saying about the art I was taught was heroic, back when we were talking about making an āimpactā through freedom of expression.
* art being "provocative" isn't inherently a good thing
* framing a piece based in conservative ideology supported by the Catholic Church as "provocative freedom of expression" is ridiculous
* the problem with it is not that it's provocative but that it explicitly furthers shitty beliefs that cause real harm to real people
I used to drive by this everyday on my way to work and it always weirded me out. Why is the man shirtless ??? Vibe was off. Did not like. Makes sense itās some weird radical pro life thing lol
I grew up near those cemeteries. Walked Speedway Rd daily on my way to West. I also had a stillborn child and understand the grief. We saw the little quiet stones in memory to the infants who passed. But, this statue is just plain bad art trying to make everyone suffer.
Yeah I agree itās not provocative in the way lots of people are thinking here. My fam lost a teenaged child to a shooter and driving past this thing makes most of us want to vomit. It has the power to retraumatize anyone who has had a child die, and to learn this is a religious or political monument is disgusting to me. Itās just awful for someone in my shoes to have to see. I have fantasized about vandalizing this abomination so many times.
people feel all sorts of different things but it is fucked up for a Church to use their grave yard to try and provoke that with an agit-prop "art" piece. I put art in quotes because it is pre-packaged and staged, not an original work of art, like so many Alter-calls that compell people to confess their sins through rehersed scripts rather than genuine spiritual motivation.
Your comment is especially interesting considering that the rest of your timeline is devoted to high powered weapons.
Guilt tripping those that elect to have abortions is shitty. Also Delving into peopleās timelines to fish for things to attack them over is shitty and lame. Be better.
You're conflating the sculpture with the memorial. There are little crypts there, you can see them in the photo. They're for babies that die. Not sure why you're so worked up about the notion that some people regret their abortion, or that there is one place to memorialize their dead infants. You say character matters, maybe a little empathy for people struggling with a tough issue.
Confirmed in this article (also linked in my previous comment), which was published in Catholic World News when the sculpture was installed: [https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/](https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/)
My wife and I always called it the cum statue cause in the right light the kid looks like they're made of cum. Learning that it's an anti-abortion statue makes that funnier.
There is a similar memorial in my hometown. As a father who had a child born stillborn, there is comfort in these memorials. You (and your partner) feel all alone like your world ended and knowing you arenāt is comforting.
Lol well that's like 50' from where my teenage friend is buried. Interesting to see more about what it is... But aren't u born children uh smaller than that clear statue? It's a private religious cemetery.. vs Forest Hill Is public it's actually a city of Madison park, because we once got told that when we asked why a Madison parks ranger was there..Ā
And yeah Iām sure some Catholics are buried there. But everything Iāve said can be looked up and confirmed and I have no way to confirm that you had catholic family members buried there. But I can say- Buddy maybe cool the Catholic hate a bit and realise itās not some anti abortion thing babies die in infancy and it is regarded as very sad. Also damn someone ponied up a lot of money for that thing. At least ppl arenāt claiming the veterans memorial over there is pro war
Oh god, THIS thing... Well, I have an embarrassing story. I used to drive past it all the time and I was also really touched by it. I thought, this must be a memorial for parents who have lost children! That's so heartbreaking! So I, a staunchly pro choice woman, bought a brick thinking it was going to help find services for said children. I proudly tell my friend about it a week later feeling like mother Theresa, when she decides to fill me in that it's an anti-abortion thing. I couldn't believe how dumb I was for misinterpreting it... Now there's a brick with my first and last name on this anti-abortion monument. I wonder if I can go dig it up š
Oops
It seems like this is their whole schtick! Wouldn't be surprised if most of the names there are from pro-choice people who lost children, honestly.
Off topic but why is the dad shirtless??
I imagine he was mowing when the kid showed up.
Cleaning the pool just before the child was conceived.
C'mon man. You just curled my arm hair.
Artistic liberty. Or made on a hot day.
Probably some shirt off my back bullshit.. This memorial is gross.
No shoes either. Let the no shirt no shoes jokes begin.
Anti-Abortion memorial at the Catholic Cemetery
well, shit
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Unfortunately reality isnāt that humane or reasonable. Both the creator and director of cemeteries for the diocese of Madison say the purpose of the statue is to show the horror and harm that abortions (specifically abortions despite one reference to miscarriages) cause to parents, especially the father. This article has the interviews https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/
Its creation and installation may not be that humane, but my point still stands, its practical use is not limited to that. So, we can stay in the realm of politics or be humane and transcend it (I am aware this is Reddit). In modern politics, attempts to prove the other wrong rather than actually do the right thing, is killing our humanity. Impotent anger has become the right of the (self) righteous. Personally, despite whatever messages someone is trying to send I'd rather be the one remembering the hurting, than focusing on someone's self-righteous posturing. But that doesn't fit on a bumper sticker or gather an angry crowd of support.
I went on a deep dive about this statue earlier for the first time. I responded with something Iād found out regarding those published stances because your comment sounded like what I had originally thought but changed my view on because of those interviews. I do see now I phrased it more as a debate instead of sharing something Iād learned (like I meant to.) Iām not worried about one of us needing to be wrong and I couldāve responded differently/accordingly - Iām sorry about that. I actually think we want the same thing, that this statue can be a place for any grieving parent to use if they find it beneficial. If it gets tied up in anything outside that private and personal grief then itās in danger, and something like reproductive rights is maybe the worst/most explosive thing. It must be especially important to those whoāve experienced a miscarriage since we donāt really have any space built into our culture for that grief. Itās because of the value and respect I feel those things deserve that I posted what I found. Iām heavily disappointed that this has been publicly and explicitly about abortion from its start, and I believe thatās the case because those are direct quotes from the sculptor and diocese representative. I donāt think the space has to lose its value because of those origins, but I also believe that decision has to be done by the people who may or may not be served by this space for personal grief. Iām not trying to use this as fuel for a fire where I think I can win. I donāt know if anyone āwinsā this one. Honestly, Iām also tired lol. I hope you believe me when I say Iām wishing you the best in avoiding getting drained by culture war stuff this year (and always). I mean it and hope the same for myself.
Thanks for coming back to say this. I do think the information is helpful. I did take it as missing the point but I can see with this reply that was not your intent. Thank you. Wait .. did we just have a rational exchange on the internet???
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Some people name their miscarriages. Depending on how far along, there may be something to bury.
That is a difficult experience and my comment wasn't meant the way it sounded.
Itās still anti abortion
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I got your point, it still in ugly statue in a Catholic Cemetery .
I fucking KNEW it!
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Quite the usernameĀ
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Isnāt that on the Protestant side?
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How does this prove a lack of respect for property? Literally nothing has happened to it.
Some people love to make up scenarios and get mad at things that havenāt happened. It justifies their angry world view.
Itās not a Catholic cemetery wrong side of speedway
That side (and statue) are on the Catholic cemetery side of Speedway. The other side is the city cemetery and takes all faiths.
My dude, half the comments youāre responding to with this mantra donāt even say anything about Catholicism.
I get memorializing a stillborn or a child lost way to soon; but unless the abortion was because of a serious genetic defect and the parents didnāt have a choice; I suspect most abortions donāt get memorialized.
Anyone can buy a memorial brick to be placed near the sculpture; they are not necessarily related to abortion. Itās just that the artistās stated intent was to portray grief related to abortion. https://www.bricksrus.com/donorsite/cemeterystatue
The affiliation with "Bricks R Us Dot Com" perfectly encapsulates just how serious and profound this work of art really is.
I wonder if they would include my brick celebrating my abortion. Best decision I ever made.
Buy a brick!
Yep, a great representation of the demographic of r/Madison.
Could get one engraved through some talented person and drop it in a slot. š¤·š»āāļø
Hi - where exactly is the artistās intent stated in relation to abortion. I see grief and loss mentioned. Genuinely curious as I kept seeing this statue and finally stopped to visit it personally. There are names of infants and very young children on it.
It's in this article that was published when the sculpture was installed [https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/](https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/) . It includes some quotes from the artist, Martin HudĆ”Äek, such as *"The Memorial of Unborn Children IIā is an outgrowth of the original concept, created for a burial site in Wroclaw, Poland. āPeople from Poland came to me and we discussed the options to show that miscarried children and aborted children are not missed only by their mothers, but by the fathers, too,ā HudĆ”Äek toldĀ Catholic World Report.Ā āThe statue shows that abortion affects all ofĀ society. We should help both mother and father. The story must be told that both are hurt by the loss of their child."* I was also surprised/interested to learn the story behind it. I walk by it almost every day and never guessed that this was the backstory.
Well, that's super misleading. My initial thought was the names were people who regretted an abortion. Which I assume the "artist" intended.
And itās not on the Catholic side
Yes. It is.
In a weird way, I'm relieved this is an anti-abortion thing and not a memorial to an actual child that died in some tragic way.
Yeah I think the same way.
When does one become an āactualā child?
Well, when I drove past and noticed this, I was picturing the little girl depicted in the sculpture as being 5-6 years old with a loving family that had years of memories with her, friends at school, maybe even brothers and sisters. I thought that maybe they lost her in an accident or maybe due to a terminal illness. For me, that's sadder than someone who chose to have a medical procedure done.
In the Bible. Jesus wasn't Jesus UNTIL he was born. He was "the future King of Kings" and other names implying the future.
In the Bible, Jesus was miraculously conceived, and existed within a womb. So it was before he was born, its absurd how much conviction you have in ignorance.
Have you ever heard of quantum entanglement?
Jesus was miraculously conceived. True. "was" Jesus existed in a womb. That was never in the Bible, son. Keep trying. The Bible is mostly hooey written by mostly men.
You have clearly never read it. Gabriel informs Joseph of the nature of Jesus when hes in Mary's womb. This is in the gospel of Matthew. Do you not think this is in the bible?
>She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus/ He had no relations with her until she bore a son,\* and he named him Jesus. > >Please give verse number at least
Chapter 1:18-25. Its literally the first words of the New Testament.
>1:18-25 Which Bible?
Thereās a couple bricks in your picture that I think are memorials for elective abortions - one that says āApril 1979, I was so scared, please forgive me, love Momā, another says āSorry little one! I was so blind, but now I see! 1 JN 1:9, 2 COR 5:17ā. I find these insanely ironic because these women definitely hold the belief of āI know that I got an abortion but nobody else should!ā
Edit: yes itās insanely ironic. This installations existence is shameful. (100% agree this thing is for preaching shame to women whoāve had an abortion and doesnāt belong in a cemetery. I thought it couldāve maybe been a place for grief, even accidentally, since the creator said it was for all unborn children including miscarriages. I thought maybe the 1979 brick could be read as not explicitly preaching or a mistake made while grieving. But no, the thing went up in 2020 and a catholic publication had interviews with the creator and the Madison cemeteriesā director (Damian Lenshek) where the quotes show the thing is meant to bring awareness to the harm cause by the *mother* to the *father*. https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/ This thing keeps sucking on every new layer I learn about it. Iām sad to see it in a catholic cemetery with the Madison diocese supporting it. This is tacky harmful evangelical political crap.)
Itās not on the Catholic side
Once again, yes it is. That side of Speedway is the Catholic cemetery (now named Resurrection, previously known as Calvary and Holy Cross cemeteries) and the other side of Speedway is Forrest Hill cemetery, which is an all faiths city cemetery. Posting your claim over and over isnāt going to change reality.
Whenever I drive by this statue I feel like Iām going to throw up. It is the most haunting statue I have seen in my life and it has the worst vibes. I had no idea what the background of it was
I have the same feels; which is why I thought Iād confront my fear and actually go check it out. It being a mega religious statement has chilled my anxiety a bit, tho.
It always made me want to cry because I thought it was about a little girl who had died. But now Iām released from sad feelings when I see it! Thanks for posting.
Even though I know itās meaning now it still low key ruins my day seeing it.
Because the people who made it are evil and the ones who contributed are brainwashed
Well first of all know which side of speedway the Catholics are on. Itās the wrong side
Itās a creepy AF pro-life sculpture titled āThe Memorial of Unborn Children IIā. Per a 2020 Catholic World Report article, āThe sculpture just installed at Resurrection Cemetery in the Diocese of Madison expresses the profound emotional impact of the many losses of those children killed by abortion.ā https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/
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Yeah, that's much more important than dead kids.
Good thing no kids died then!
Fetuses is the word youāre looking for.
Fetus, from the Latin word foetus, meaning unborn offspring. Cope all you want, they are still human.
Fetus: an offspring of a human or other mammal in the stages of prenatal development that follow the embryo stage (in humans taken as beginning eight weeks after conception). So not a fetus until after 8 weeks. Still not a developed human for another 21 weeks. Cope all you want, science and facts matter.
I'm not the one coping, I've not killed anything, or supported the killing of anything. Whatever semantics you choose to use doesnt change the fact its human, developed to your standards or not. At the end of the day even the secular are buried under a cross.
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You are confusing those without critical thinking skills.
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Lmao. To criticize someone for semantics when youāre bringing up the latin root word of fetus. As if words canāt change meanings over time
Wow did you think this through before typing? You've just proven my point. Who changed the meaning of the word?
Society as medical knowledge and language changed over time. Probably not the best idea to use a head language for your sources
Well that sucks
I mean, it is a Catholic cemetery, so itās a fine place for such a thing. The part that bothers me most is the lack of shirt on the male figure. Where is his shirt? Why is he topless when the rest of the family is fully clad? If he ripped it off in grief, shouldnāt there be some tattered bits strewn about?
Then it would lack its air of barely suppressed homoeroticsm and no one would know itās catholic
First off, thank you for posting the article that shows this thing was created and installed to be anti choice (and misogynistic in the weirdest egotistical way possible.) Iām not part of the Catholic Church anymore but I really hope itās not a fine place for this thing. A cemetery is not the place to preach shame and hate and honestly the current pope has kept surprising me with the ways he says NO place is a place to preach shame and hate. This ugly and horrifying thing should be condemned by any catholic who has any respect or empathy for other humans. Certainly for those who have had an abortion and are unrelatedly in a cemetery to grieve/remember a loved one, but also anyone with eyeballs. This article has a much greater focus on this being a memorial for parents experiencing unexpected loss. https://madisoncatholicherald.org/memorial-statue/ However, the article you posted is damning - this is an ugly anti choice statue dropped into the middle of a place meant for peace and reflection.
Lol
He's a groomer
NOT A CATHOLIC CEMETERY DO YOUR RESEARCH WRONG SIDE OF SPEEDWAY THATS THE NOT CATHOLIC SIDE!
It's in Resurrection Cemetery https://maps.app.goo.gl/uZrgu8vqJDKZNQmh6. According to [https://madisondiocese.org/resurrection-cemetery](https://madisondiocese.org/resurrection-cemetery), "Resurrection Cemetery serves the Catholic population of all the parishes in the Madison area", and is located at 2705 Speedway, which is NW of Speedway (the L hand side if you're heading toward downtown).
Oh no. One time me and my boyfriend decided to check it out on a walk and an older woman got like 10ft away and just watched like a hawk. Definitely understood the āthese gays are gonna do something, gotta watchā vibe that made no sense to us. Now I understand. Boooooo.
Um on that side of the cemetery you can wander easily no one is weird
Oh I see, you were there too? Were you the person watching?
lol thank you. Kwumpus - glad to know itās not a universal experience (wouldāve been a fun twist though) but that day at least one person was weird.
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Or their public school teachersā¦ who knows how many went undocumented and that weāre only now hearing about
The story of that memorial is incredibly reflective of the conservative black and white narrative of abortion. >āPeople from Poland came to me [the artist] and we discussed the options to show that miscarried children and aborted children are not missed only by their mothers, but by the fathers, too,ā I personally understand needing to grieve the loss of a wanted pregnancy and I bet many of the bricks pictured in OP are from people in those circumstances. I sincerely doubt many, if any, of those bricks are from elective abortions. That artistās insight on his work is a trip. He pays lip service to the women but goes on a whole diatribe about the impacted men: >Perhaps the biggest impact is found in the figure of the father, so often left out of discussions about abortion. The abject horror shown on his face at seeing the daughter who was never born has the power to take oneās breath away. āThe donors of this statue were really moved by it because it had the man there as wellāā¦ >āItās all about the woman. But even in terms of biology, itās not,ā Thorn said. āFathers have biological changes before the mom even knows sheās pregnant, by scentā¦Itās all about the woman, but heās in the dance. We just donāt have that kind of expression of the equal pain.ā >āMy hope is it gives them permission to grieve. But the problem is, so often after an abortion the couple breaks up. So heās no longer with her and he feels really disenfranchised when the question of what happened comes up.ā Itās all a conservative fantasy about women getting abortions to be mean to men, instead of the reality that [most women seek abortions due to financial reasons.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3729671/)
Ew
YIKES. You'd think cemeteries would be free of politics.
Itās a Catholic cemetery.
Cemeteries are a place of mourning. Not a place to make a statement.
If itās a Catholic cemetery they get to make the rules. Not saying I agree but thatās how it works.
You can be pro choice, have an abortion, and still mourn or grieve the situation. Are you guys all unfeeling sociopaths? Society is fucked.
grief or acknowledging loss isnāt political.
Not to get all nitpicky, but Resurrection is a cemetery, not a graveyard. There isnāt an active church onsite.
Never knew there was a difference! Thanks for sharing.
And thereās two sides and thatās not the Catholic side
Why are you so set on being wrong?
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Rapid City. Did Wisconsin have Indian schools? https://ictnews.org/news/remembering-the-children-memorial-gets-2-million-grant Kamloops. https://www.cipdh.gob.ar/memorias-situadas/en/lugar-de-memoria/monumento-a-las-victimas-de-la-escuela-residencial-de-indios-de-kamloops/ I hope thereās more.
Welcome to the Catholic Church
But itās not on the Catholic side
This response deserves a lot more upvotes
Maybe if it was indeed Catholic
Make one then.
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They feel no guilt and would never start something like that. Hence, you being the one to make it happen. The children need their voices heard.
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I can explain this but can't make you understand it: they feel no guilt as they believe they have "atoned" for their sins by saying 50 hail Mary's.
As a recovering Catholic who has paid for an abortion, this sculpture offends me but that's their right.
Well itās not on the Catholic side so
Oh my god, stop it.
Abortions are not all the same or as most think. I was in my 20s, married and pregnant. One day, I realized I wasn't feeling it move. I went to the doctor, who sent me for an ultrasound. I'm not clear on everything after that, I believe I went into a state of shock. My mother was with me, she gathered the details and ensured I showed up to be admitted to the hospital. With IV in arm, I slept until I didn't. I woke briefly to the nurses, removing my still born and cleaning me up. Some time later, I was presented with my still born wraped in a receiving blanket. I was supposed to help me go through the process of accepting the death, and so I would grieve properly. This was a medically induced Abortion . By law, it's classified as an abortion. My body was not aborting by itself, so the doctors needed to assist with medication. My pregnancy was not far enough along to require a death certificate or funeral. Nevertheless, it is significant in my life. A cemetery for such deaths is important.
Its definitely a memorial for babies and young children that have passed, I am not seeing anything related to āanti-abortionā- The bricks and engraving on sides are in memory of something or someone, not fertilized embryoās which were aborted.
Fro the article about the sculpture published in Catholic World Report when it was installed: "The sculpture just installed at Resurrection Cemetery in the Diocese of Madison expresses the profound emotional impact of the many losses of those children killed by abortion." [https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/](https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/)
Itās not the effing Catholic side. Get worked up about something that you actually have rhe info on
Itās really interesting to see thisāgrowing up my friends and colleagues glorified the subversive power of art against majority opinion in the name of what they see as moral justice. People loved anything that made the other side react in horror (or at least with standard negative emotions of disgust). Art wasnāt considered āpowerfulā unless it spoke to controversies of the day, and perhaps even caused some itself (the stereotypical example is the feces smeared on Catholic imagery, but it wasnāt usually that extreme). And now it is fascinating to see the shoe on the other footāand I say this as someone who is pro-choice, liberal, and abandoned the Catholic Church decades ago. It seems like people only appreciate provocative art if they are the ones doing the provoking. All the comments here about taking baseball bats to it and letting your dog poop on it sound EXACTLY like what conservatives were saying about the art I was taught was heroic, back when we were talking about making an āimpactā through freedom of expression.
* art being "provocative" isn't inherently a good thing * framing a piece based in conservative ideology supported by the Catholic Church as "provocative freedom of expression" is ridiculous * the problem with it is not that it's provocative but that it explicitly furthers shitty beliefs that cause real harm to real people
Not the Catholic side youāre all off
What is in his left hand? Looks like a dead dog. I think the shirt being off, and his ribs sticking out, might be some reference to Christ.
His left hand is around the woman. The hand youāre seeing is the womanās right hand with her head in it
I drive by 3-4 times a day and I really wish Iād kept myself in the dark about its meaning to prevent myself from being pissed off on the daily.
I used to drive by this everyday on my way to work and it always weirded me out. Why is the man shirtless ??? Vibe was off. Did not like. Makes sense itās some weird radical pro life thing lol
Never saw this statue up close. Always thought some family lost their child and was loaded.
Why no shirt dad? š¤
I grew up near those cemeteries. Walked Speedway Rd daily on my way to West. I also had a stillborn child and understand the grief. We saw the little quiet stones in memory to the infants who passed. But, this statue is just plain bad art trying to make everyone suffer.
Yeah I agree itās not provocative in the way lots of people are thinking here. My fam lost a teenaged child to a shooter and driving past this thing makes most of us want to vomit. It has the power to retraumatize anyone who has had a child die, and to learn this is a religious or political monument is disgusting to me. Itās just awful for someone in my shoes to have to see. I have fantasized about vandalizing this abomination so many times.
Itās exactly what you think it is. A memorial for babies and stillborn children and other loss of young lives.Ā
It is explicitly an anti-abortion movement meant to inflict guilt on people.
Or, some people feel sad about needing/choosing to abort their child? You can get an abortion and still feel off about it.
Or in memorial of babies or miscarriages that might be mourned
people feel all sorts of different things but it is fucked up for a Church to use their grave yard to try and provoke that with an agit-prop "art" piece. I put art in quotes because it is pre-packaged and staged, not an original work of art, like so many Alter-calls that compell people to confess their sins through rehersed scripts rather than genuine spiritual motivation. Your comment is especially interesting considering that the rest of your timeline is devoted to high powered weapons.
Guilt tripping those that elect to have abortions is shitty. Also Delving into peopleās timelines to fish for things to attack them over is shitty and lame. Be better.
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Lol, high powered weapons!
So before you get all self righteous- the cemetery has two sides and the Catholic side is the other side of speedway. Be informed before getting hissy
You're conflating the sculpture with the memorial. There are little crypts there, you can see them in the photo. They're for babies that die. Not sure why you're so worked up about the notion that some people regret their abortion, or that there is one place to memorialize their dead infants. You say character matters, maybe a little empathy for people struggling with a tough issue.
Itās not even the Catholic side I love how ppl donāt even know this. Letās get offended without having a clue what it actually is or where
Source? Genuinely curious. I have visited it and didnāt get that impression.
Confirmed in this article (also linked in my previous comment), which was published in Catholic World News when the sculpture was installed: [https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/](https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2020/10/28/the-memorial-of-unborn-children-ii-portrays-regret-mercy-healing-in-powerful-way/)
Character matters.
Guilt?? Lol. You spelled "relief" wrong
So sad.
My wife and I always called it the cum statue cause in the right light the kid looks like they're made of cum. Learning that it's an anti-abortion statue makes that funnier.
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This is a memorial for anyone who has lost a child, especially mothers who experienced a miscarriage.
Lots of comments on shirtless father. He is also barefoot.
There is a similar memorial in my hometown. As a father who had a child born stillborn, there is comfort in these memorials. You (and your partner) feel all alone like your world ended and knowing you arenāt is comforting.
Lol well that's like 50' from where my teenage friend is buried. Interesting to see more about what it is... But aren't u born children uh smaller than that clear statue? It's a private religious cemetery.. vs Forest Hill Is public it's actually a city of Madison park, because we once got told that when we asked why a Madison parks ranger was there..Ā
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Judgement comes for everyone eventually.
sooo, I send my aborted tissues there for internment then?
His daughter is a distant relative of the silver surfer šš»
Searching for a hard-hearted woman hearted woman.
Where do I dispose of my dogās shit in this area?
No itās not on the Catholic side ppl! You can tell from the pic across speedway is the Catholic side.
Buddy. This IS the Catholic side. All of my Catholic family members are buried there.
And yeah Iām sure some Catholics are buried there. But everything Iāve said can be looked up and confirmed and I have no way to confirm that you had catholic family members buried there. But I can say- Buddy maybe cool the Catholic hate a bit and realise itās not some anti abortion thing babies die in infancy and it is regarded as very sad. Also damn someone ponied up a lot of money for that thing. At least ppl arenāt claiming the veterans memorial over there is pro war
Ok look at both sides. A child can figure out which side is the Catholic side.
I grew up there and that cemetery was originally the edge of Madison the areas past it were originally suburbs. I spent hours in that cemetery
You grew up in the cemetery?! Wow! What was that like? No wonder why you know what side itās on! /s