Back in May of last year, a member of the Satanic Temple filed suit challenging Missouri’s waiting period and informed consent requirements for obtaining an abortion, arguing that they are in violation of that state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
In the petition, plaintiff made the argument that her deeply held religious beliefs include all of the following:
- Her body is inviolable and subject to her will alone
- She makes decisions regarding her health based on the best scientific understanding of the world, even if the science does not comport with the religious or political beliefs of others
- Her inviolable body includes the Tissue
- She alone decides whether to remove the Tissue from her inviolable body; and
- She may, in good conscience, have the Tissue removed from her inviolable body without regard to the current or future condition of the Tissue.
This is a thoughtful and creative legal strategy, leveraging freedom of (religious) conscience in favor of sexual freedom, something you almost never see. Alas, it was recently reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the suit was dismissed for failing “to allege facts, which if true, state a claim for relief under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.” Turns out Missouri lawmakers and jurists are only interested in protecting more traditional religious freedoms, rather than freedom of conscience for all.
A quick prayer to @BaphometOKC, invoking freedom of conscience and bodily autonomy for the women of Missouri. pic.twitter.com/pemTA8NtdU
— Blue Ball Skeptics (@BlueBallSkeptic) January 24, 2016
A toast to the Satanic Temple, and better luck next time!
