A group is calling for the removal of a statue on the grounds of the Alabama Capitol honoring a 19th century doctor who experimented on slaves.

State Sen. Hank Sanders and other members of the group Save Ourselves Movement for Justice and Democracy held a Wednesday press conference calling for the removal of the statue of Dr. J. Marion Sims.

The statue honors Sims as the "father of modern gynecology. Sims in his research did experimental surgery without anesthesia on enslaved African-American women.

A local activist was arrested last month on criminal trespassing charges after performing a skit in front of the statue on Confederate Memorial Day.

New York City officials last month relocated a statue of Sims from Central Park to the cemetery where Sims is buried.