The Satanic Temple claims Missouri’s mandated religious material is designed to shame women who wish to have an abortion.

A lawsuit has been filed by The Satanic Temple against the State of Missouri. The Satanic Temple (TST) has filed the lawsuit on behalf of a woman who has claimed her rights have been violated. The woman said that upon seeking an abortion, she was forced to read religious material which argues that life begins at conception. The woman claimed she was forced to wait 72 hours before the procedure could be performed.

The Satanic Temple has claimed the material has been curated to shame her decision and isn’t supported by science. The Satanic Temple has based their appeal on a decision made by the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1989.

Their decision was that the theory of life beginning at conception is “an impermissible state adoption of a theory when life begins.” The Satanic Temple has filed an appeal to the same court.

Judy Doe (name changed) is a member of The Satanic Temple. The Satanic Temple filed the appeal and lawsuit to take on Missouri’s “informed consent” law. In the past, a challenge was made to Missouri’s law, which required women to wait for one of the longest periods in the United States before aborting. However, the Missouri Supreme Court dismissed it.

The Missouri Supreme Court has pointed out that the lawsuit is unable to provide enough evidence that Doe’s rights were violated. They based this decision on Missouri state law, which doesn’t mandate that women must read a booklet or have an ultrasound.

Doe and TST released a statement which said they believe that science, not political or religious beliefs, should dictate bodily autonomy decisions.

TST is a non-theist religious organization. The name is misleading as the organization doesn’t believe in Satan. They do use Satan in the Bible as their symbol because they claim Satan is a symbol of rebellion against tyrannical authority as well as enlightened inquiry. Political common sense and justice are two pillars which TST stands on.

Religious Reproductive Rights – THE SATANIC TEMPLE DEFENSE OF RELIGIOUS REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS – “TST religiously objects to many of the restrictions that states have enacted that interfere with abortion access.“ https://t.co/GBCHB0qiN2 — Athena Reddy (@athenaxmachina) August 2, 2019

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