Politico has come out with an astonishing report which claims that pro-life measures to stop abortions infringe on the religious rights of Satanists and other religious groups, including Jews, Episcopalians, and Unitarians. In states like Texas, Idaho, and Louisiana, Satanists argue that the restrictive abortion laws impede their congregants’ belief in bodily autonomy and their right to engage in abortion as a religious ritual. In Kentucky, Jewish challengers reference religious texts that suggest life begins with a baby’s first breath. Similarly, the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, and the Unitarian Universalist Church in Florida have filed a lawsuit against a recent 15-week abortion ban.
Satanists are removing the assumption that all religious people oppose abortion the article argues.
According to Politico:
In order to succeed, these lawsuits must prove: that the right to an abortion is central to the religious practices of the people suing; that they are sincere in their beliefs and have a track record of observing them; and that state abortion bans make it impossible for them to live according to their faith.
The cases challenging abortion restrictions in their entirety face an additional hurdle: proving that state officials stepped over the line separating church and state in crafting the bans.
“We have a really strong Establishment Clause argument because it’s clear that these bills were passed for religious reasons,” said Marci Hamilton, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Pennsylvania who is part of the legal team representing clergy in Florida. “The 15-week bill was signed in a church and members of the state legislature repeatedly referred to God when arguing why this had to be done.”
One particular religious group, The Satanic Temple, say they practice a religious abortion ritual that involves the recitation of two of their Tenets and a personal affirmation intertwined with the act of abortion. The affirmation requires members to state, “By my body, my blood, by my will, it is done.” By taking legal action against abortion bans, Satanists are challenging the assumption that all religious individuals are necessarily opposed to abortion, as pointed out by POLITICO.
