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Missouri Supreme Court to hear Satanic Temple Abortion Case

Missouri Supreme Court to hear Satanic Temple Abortion Case

Could Involve Modification of Historical Hobby Lobby Case

A member of the somewhat popular Satanic Temple has filed a lawsuit challenging Missouri’s abortion law. The suit is centered on religious grounds and will be heard by the state Supreme Court today. The lawsuit uses the case involving the Hobby Lobby company as its precedence. In that case, the company used religious grounds to refuse contraception coverage for its female employees.

Missouri Supreme Court to hear Satanic Temple Abortion Case[/tweetthis]

The plaintiff in this suit, Mary Doe, states that the abortion law has violated her right to religious liberty. The plaintiff does agree that her religious standing is rather strange and would see her labeled as a Satanist. This, however, doesn’t mean that the court should ignore her religious beliefs.

Mary’s first suit was filed in 2015 where it states that the abortion law convinced her that abortion was murder. This was contrary to her personal beliefs and that, that specific law put her through guilt and shame to prevent her from getting an abortion.

The suit filed by the Satanic Temple states that Doe has the right to reject any medical procedure on religious ground. She did get the abortion in 2015 but was requires to meet several requirements by the law. She had to view an ultrasound of her fetus and agree that life begins at conception. The 2015 saga forced to wait for three days before undergoing the procedure and she had to bear the financial costs of all the law’s requirements.

A spokesman of the Satanic Temple critiqued the government for favoring a particular ideological view. He also went on to say the law was designed to punish pregnant women who disagreed with the view.
The state argues that the law did not restrict Ms. Doe exercise of religion. In 2016 a lower court threw out the case, but it was appealed and sent to Missouri Supreme Court. The opening arguments of this case are to be heard today.

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