The Satanic Temple files new lawsuit against Idaho’s abortion ban
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A week after filing a federal lawsuit challenging Indiana’s ban on abortion, The Satanic Temple (TST) Massachusetts-based organization filed a similar suit against Idaho’s abortion ban on Friday, Axios reports. Indiana and Idaho are among an increasing number of states which have instituted near-total bans on abortion since the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v Wade.
Under Idaho’s Senate Bill 1309, titled “Fetal Heartbeat, Preborn Child Protection Act,” abortions are prohibited after around six weeks gestation, once a fetal heartbeat can be heard. Passed by a Republican-controlled House by a 51 to 14 vote, the law allows exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and medical emergency.
In its filing against Idaho, the TST complains the state’s abortion ban violates the 13th Amendment, discriminating against contraceptive users who still became pregnant, Axios reports. In particular, the TST filing asserts the Idaho ban violates the right of an “involuntarily pregnant woman” to engage in the “Satanic Abortion Ritual.”
According to TST, “One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone,” Axios noted.
The TST additionally claims that in banning abortion, Idaho is also “taking the property of involuntarily pregnant women” ( their bodies) without just compensation – this is because many women are paid thousands of dollars to become surrogates.
