CHICAGO — Officials at the Obama Presidential Library unveiled a new bronze statue Tuesday depicting former President Barack Obama performing a late-term abortion on the Statue of Liberty, describing the work as “a powerful symbol of reproductive freedom and national renewal.”
The 18-foot sculpture, titled The Procedure, shows a calmly focused Obama in rolled-up shirtsleeves, scalpel in hand, attending to a reclining Lady Liberty whose torch lies extinguished on the operating table beside her. A small plaque at the base reads: “Liberty requires hard choices.”
Library director Melissa Chen called the unveiling “a fitting addition to President Obama’s legacy of expanding the boundaries of what is possible in America.”
“This isn’t just art,” Chen told reporters. “It’s history. President Obama expanded access to reproductive healthcare, and this statue literalizes that commitment. Lady Liberty has carried a heavy burden for too long. Sometimes you have to let some things go so others can thrive.”
The artist collective known as Praxis Forward said in a statement that the work explores “themes of autonomy, authority, and the compassionate excision of outdated national myths.”
Initial sketches reportedly showed Uncle Sam observing approvingly from the corner, but he was removed after focus-group testing determined his presence “complicated the narrative.”
Reaction in Washington was swift, if predictable.
“Beautiful. Transcendent. Finally, an honest depiction of what ‘fundamental transformation’ actually looked like,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who attended the ceremony wearing a pin reading “This is what democracy looks like post-viability.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called the statue “the most on-the-nose thing the radical left has ever produced, and that’s saying something.”
He added that the work “manages to be both blasphemous and on brand.”
Visitors to the library appeared largely unfazed. Several posed for selfies making the “OK” hand gesture near the scalpel, while a gift shop already offers commemorative “My Body, My Choice” tote bags featuring the statue’s silhouette.
Curators noted that the sculpture was commissioned in 2022 and completed under strict artistic direction to avoid “any appearance of political exaggeration.”
The final version is said to be 40 percent less graphic than the original maquette, which reportedly included forceps and drew concern from the Secret Service.
When asked for comment, representatives for the former president praised the work’s “nuance” and declined further elaboration, citing a long-standing policy of letting symbolic abortions of American icons speak for themselves.
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