Satanists challenge Missouri abortion law

by Rebecca Savransky - 01/25/18 11:44 AM ET

An organization called the Satanic Temple is reportedly challenging a law in Missouri that mandates that women be given a booklet stating that life begins at conception before receiving an abortion.

The group argued before the state Supreme Court this week on behalf of a woman identified as Mary Doe, Reuters reported Wednesday.

The woman — who received an abortion in 2015 in St. Louis — says the state’s laws conflict with her religious beliefs.

{mosads}A spokesman for the Satanic Temple told Reuters that the hearing was the first time a Satanist group had presented arguments before a state Supreme Court regarding an abortion law.

“They want to change her mind, they want to change her heart, they want to change the way she sees herself in the cosmos,” James McNaughton, the Satanists’ attorney, said at the Missouri Supreme Court hearing.

An attorney for the state argued that Missouri’s law is not a violation of any religious beliefs.

It is not known when the court will decide on the case.

The Satanic Temple says on its website that its mission is “encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense and justice, and be directed by the human conscience to undertake noble pursuits guided by the individual will.”

Tags Abortion law Reproductive rights The Satanic Temple