Satanists Oppose Texas Law to Conduct Burial for Aborted Fetuses
- By Gary Nguyen --
- 06 Dec 2016 --
The Satanic Temple is fighting against a new law in Texas requiring burial services for abortions or miscarriages.
Texas’ new law that an abortion should be accompanied by a funeral of the fetal remains has been opposed by The Satanic Temple. The new law would compel women who undergo an abortion to either cremate or bury the fetal remains according to religious rights. For the lawmakers, this is a step to emphasize the importance and sacredness of life. The Satanists, however, think this is a malicious attempt by the officials to publicly humiliate women who undergo an abortion.
Satanists Oppose Texas Law to Conduct Funeral for Aborted Fetuses.[/tweetthis]
The Satanists argue that the law is a deliberate attempt at forcing people to undergo a religious ceremony, which for them is a violation of people’s rights. This way, they point out that the law goes against the directives of the First Amendment.
The law is the brainchild of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who said earlier that the remains of the fetus after abortion shouldn’t be considered as medical waste, but must be shown respect as it’s the body of a human being. For this reason, Texas will be enforcing this law which will prevent hospitals from dumping the fetal remains in landfills starting December 19. The law does not apply to women who have abortions or miscarriages at home.
The Satanists believe in the “inviolability of one’s body,” and argue that the new law prohibits them from practicing their religious beliefs, thereby transgressing the First Amendment.
Spokesperson for the Temple Lucien Greaves says that the new law conflicts with their belief as the fetal matter is being treated different from other biological material. For them, this is a religious act of elevating the fetal remains to a superior state rather than treating it naturally as any other biological waste would. For this reason, Satanists believe that the law intrudes in their right to refrain from acts that display religious and spiritual beliefs.
Satanic Temple: Texas' new fetal tissue burial rules violate their religious freedom https://t.co/fN0LiFOFGZ via @dallasnews
— Eva Ruth Moravec (@EvaRuth) December 5, 2016
Satanists also believe that this law is an additional burden that the state intends to place on the mother, who has already gone through a lot. Furthermore, the Temple believes that the law has nothing to do with trying to maintain sanitation and hygiene, but is only a twisted attempt by the religious conservatives of the state to make women who have undergone abortion more vulnerable to criticism and ridicule.
The Temple has announced that its members are not going to comply with the law and are even ready to sue the State of Texas on this issue.