The Satanic Temple: “Satanic Abortions” Are Protected by Religious Liberty Laws
By Hemant Mehta, August 5, 2020

Several years ago, The Satanic Temple argued in court that one of their members in Missouri didn’t need to abide by the state’s 72-hour waiting period for abortions because it violated her belief that “one’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.” (That lawsuit was ultimately unsuccessful in part because she was no longer pregnant when the judge issued a ruling.)

They tried a similar tactic in 2019, this time with an anonymous plaintiff whose own pregnancy timeline wouldn’t be an issue, but that didn’t work either. The courts said that whatever obstacles there were to obtaining an abortion in Missouri, women could still theoretically get them and this plaintiff wasn’t singled out because she was a Satanist. So a lawsuit based on religious discrimination was a no-go.

That’s why, today, The Satanic Temple is laying the groundwork for future battles over abortion. They’re announcing that all first trimester abortions must be “exempt from state regulations that hinder access” to the procedure because such hurdles violate two of their Seven Fundamental Tenets regarding bodily autonomy and adherence to best scientific practices.

They’re basically using the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision — which an evangelical business owner used to prevent insurance providers from covering his employees’ birth control — to defend a woman’s right to choose.