Satanic Temple Sues Missouri Over Abortion Rights - and Could Win

ON ITS FACE, IT SOUNDS like the epitome of a frivolous, if not blasphemous, lawsuit: A group of Satanists in Missouri sued the state over its strict anti-abortion laws on religious-discrimination grounds. A state trial court agreed, sort of, dismissing the case not long after it was filed in 2015.

But skepticism about The Satanic Temple's suit against Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican, and Show-Me State administrators ended when the Satanists appealed, the state Supreme Court agreed to take the case – and, based on the arguments presented in court, experts say the Satanists could actually win.

If they prevail in the case, an organization named for the Dark Lord of the Underworld could upend a 2016 law requiring women to wait 72 hours before an abortion, forcing doctors to give women ultrasounds of the fetus and offering them literature declaring that "life begins at conception." Although the state's highest court won't rule for several weeks, the group has already claimed a big victory: It says the state did a 180 on the ultrasounds during oral arguments, acknowledging that they're voluntary and not mandatory.

"It's kind of ironic," says Mary Ziegler, a Florida State University law professor who specializes in women's rights issues. "This is showing that people on both sides of the political spectrum can use religious freedom" to challenge laws they don't like. Adding to the irony: Members of The Satanic Temple don't really believe in Satan. Though the organization is described as dedicated to Satanic practice and promotion of Satanic rights, it's actually a progressive political organization that sees the biblical Satan as a metaphor, and their mission as rebellion against tyranny.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/missouri/articles/2018-01-26/satanic-temple-sues-missouri-over-abortion-rights-and-could-win?fbclid=IwAR2EpX-CYpmVQQItV8uyxmfB_QkKM44YhVqn_ruKXXy6J-qFoGhZjTrVjGs