A Satanic group in Missouri lost their lawsuit against Pro-Life after a state judge threw out their case against women’s right of informed consent before abortion.
New York-based Satanic Temple, which lodged a complaint on behalf of one of their female members in Missouri, cited the Religious Freedom Act, and challenged the state’s 2010 statute requiring a 72-hour waiting period for women wanting abortions,.
The complainant, identified as “Mary Doe,” earlier alleged the law on informed consent, which provides women with informational packets containing educational materials about the unborn child 72 hours before the abortion, violated her “free exercise” of Satanic beliefs.
“Mary Doe” said she had visited the St. Louis Planned Pregnancy to have an abortion, presenting a letter explaining that her Satanic beliefs did not require informed consent, and requested for a waiver the requisite waiting period before aborting the fetus she carried, Life Site wrote.
A Cole County Circuit Judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying the plaintiff failed to allege facts giving her a just claim under the RFRA, or the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Legal representatives from the Missouri Attorney General’s office further argued that “Mary Doe’s” disagreement with the contents of the state-provided informational pamphlets was not a legal basis for a cause of action, Life News reported.
The informed consent packet consists of material outlining the development of the fetus, fetal pain, and the health risks of abortion to women. It also includes alternatives to abortion, contact information of pregnancy resource centers, as well as adoption agencies, the Good Shepherd Church said.
The informational materials mandated by law provide women seeking abortions with adequate time to review all their options. Informed consent also provides abortion candidates with the opportunity to take a look at an ultrasound of their fetus before coming to a final decision.
