Members of an activist art group have hung a 44-foot banner reading “GOD BLESS ABORTIONS” on the huge monument of Jesus Christ in Arkansas.

The group, named ‘Indecline’, say that the ‘God Bless Abortions’ project is a “response to the dramatic attempts being made in Arkansas and throughout the South, to ban abortion services to women in need”.

Members of Indecline disguised themselves as a construction crew to gain access to the property, and used climbing gear to hang the banner from the arms of the huge Christ of the Ozarks statue on Thursday night.

In defence of their defacing of the statue, Indecline said: “In Arkansas, there is only one 65-foot statue of Jesus. There is also only one abortion clinic. We just think abortion is a…  miracle worth celebrating. It saves lives, but those lives are usually female.”

The Christ of the Ozarks statue, built in 1966, is made of white mortar and weighs 892 tonnes. It is the centrepiece of the religious theme park in the city of Eureka Springs where “The Great Passion Play” is performed.

This is not the first time that the group has caused controversy around abortion. In March, they defaced a billboard in Mississippi to read, “Worried? Planned Parenthood offers abortions,” instead of, “Worried? Jesus offers security.”

The director of “The Great Passion Play”, Randall Christy, will be pressing charges against Indecline. He hopes that they will be charged with trespass and vandalism.

Mocking pro-lifers

 SPUC Director of Communications, Michael Robinson, said: “This offensive project trivialises abortion and attempts to destabilise the pro-life movement by mocking pro-lifers who have religious beliefs.

“My prayer is that their stunt only serves to strengthen the faith and witness of Christians in the pro-life fight in Arkansas – and that it truly shocks Arkansas citizens into finding out more about the violent reality of abortion and the overwhelming evidence of its tragic impact on women.”