july 28, 2014

The Satanic Temple is seeking to use the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision  to seek religious exemption from "informed-consent" laws in some states that require women to take extra information into account before allowing her to have an abortion. These laws sometimes require women to take extra time or undergo an ultrasound before allowing them to get the procedure.

The Satanic Temple has written a letter arguing that they too should be allowed protection in light of this ruling, especially since much of the laws in question are based on politics rather than fact. Here is an excerpt from that letter:

I regard any information required by state statute to be communicated or offered to me as a precondition for an abortion (separate and apart from any other medical procedure) is based on politics and not science (“Political Information”). I regard Political Information as a state sanctioned attempt to discourage abortion by compelling my consideration of the current and future condition of my fetal or embryonic tissue separate and apart from my body. I do not regard Political Information to be scientifically true or accurate or even relevant to my medical decisions. The communication of Political Information to me imposes an unwanted and substantial burden on my religious beliefs.

Read more in this article, via Feministing