A pro-abortion sculpture at the University of Houston has been decapitated in a potential act of vandalism, according to the school.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the statue was erected earlier this year. Per the artist, the work is a testament to pro-abortion advocacy. It’s called “Witness” and depicts a woman-like figure with goat horns, tentacle arms, and a lace collar around her neck.
“The luminous figure is a nod to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as seen in the detail adorning her collar. With Ginsburg’s death and the reversal of Roe, there was a setback to women’s constitutional progress,” sculptor Shahzia Sikander wrote in her artist statement.
The statue was met with protests and denunciation early this year from pro-life groups, reported The Texan.
Footage of the decapitated sculpture was obtained by campus police.
“We were disappointed to learn the statue was damaged early Monday morning as Hurricane Beryl was hitting Houston. The damage is believed to be intentional,” executive director of media relations for the University of Houston, Kevin Quinn, said, reported New York Times.
The sculptor condemned the alleged vandalism.
“The cowardice of vandalizing during [a] storm. Trying to create false miracles because they have nothing else, but that violent narrative cannot be cloaked in the storm. I urge the University of Houston to release the footage from the security camera to show that it was intentional hateful vandalism,” Sikander said, reported The Texan.
Advocacy organization Texas Values released a statement arguing that speculating about vandalism unduly points the finger at anti-abortion groups.
“The University is launching a criminal investigation to discover how the head was removed. In discussing the possibility of vandals, the media implicates pro-life groups like Texas Values and Texas Right to Life for being vocal in our opposition to the statue and rallying support from the Houston community to have the statue removed. The articles and university pay little attention to Hurricane Beryl, an act of God, as being a possibility for the missing head of the statue displaying satanic imagery,” Texas Values said in a statement.
President of Texas Values Jonathan Saenz contended that the sculpture should be removed now that it’s been damaged.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of any possible senseless attack. We would never condone such violence and destruction of property, but since it has been defaced, it’s probably best for the university to remove it. It appears that the statue is bringing nothing but negative attention on the university and becoming a distraction from the university’s expected focus on education,” Saenz said in a statement.
The Dallas Express contacted the University of Houston Media Services for comment but did not receive a response by publication.