In a consequential and encouraging decision, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled recently that The Satanic Temple cannot sue the State of Idaho over its abortion law, no matter how much the Satanists dislike it. The group has tried repeatedly to argue the case, saying the abortion is part of its religious practice and ritual.
The Law in Idaho
The Temple finds a strong adversary in Idaho. Of all the fifty states, Idaho is among those that most carefully protect the rights of the pre-born. The state’s 2023 “Defense of Life Act“ allows abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy only in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. Those who perform illegal abortions are liable to a two-to-five-year sentence of imprisonment, a temporary suspension of a medical license for the first infraction and permanent suspension for repeated offences. While Idaho women are allowed to use “abortion pills,” those who prescribe or provide the drugs are liable to prosecution.
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In addition, those who assist Idaho minors to obtain abortions in other states, except for the young woman’s parents, also risk two to five years in prison. That assistance, according to the pro-abortion Center for Reproductive Rights, can be “anything [from] driving someone to the clinic, to providing financial assistance, to helping them make the appointment.”
While this pro-life position does not ban the practice entirely, it is headed in the right direction, and one of the country’s best anti-abortion laws.
A Big Target
This prohibition to assist minors in other states is especially significant because Idaho shares long borders with the virulently pro-abortion states of Washington and Oregon. The abortion giant, Planned Parenthood, does have two “clinics” in Idaho, one in Twin Falls and the other in Meridian, that provide other “services.” Idaho’s law prevents Planned Parenthood from referring women to its abortion mills outside the state.
These conditions make Idaho an attractive target to all organizations promoting abortion.
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The Satanic Temple’s suit has been simmering for a long time. It was first brought in 2022, within days of the landmark Dobbs case. That decision overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case in which the Supreme Court erroneously branded abortion as a constitutional right.
No Standing Before the Court
The Ninth Circuit Court’s decision was based on a finding that The Satanic Temple has no standing to bring such a suit. While this reasoning may seem to be technical, such restrictions citing standing are important since they prevent groups like The Satanic Temple from bringing a “nuisance lawsuit” against the state just because a particular situation makes them angry. Standing means that the plaintiff must be directly affected by the conditions described in the suit.
As one of the three judges, Margaret McKeown, wrote in the decision, the Satanic Temple “has no patients in Idaho, no clinic in Idaho, no doctors who are licensed to treat Idaho patients, and has identified no Idaho citizen who seeks an abortion from the organization.” Therefore, it lacks standing. The court was unimpressed by The Satanic Temple’s contention that it has twenty-seven members in Idaho who could, one day, become “involuntarily pregnant.”
Of course, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador commended the decision. “The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals correctly found that the plaintiff lacked standing to challenge Idaho’s laws protecting mothers and their unborn children. This victory ensures that Idaho may continue to enforce our pro-life and pro-family protections.”
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It also reaffirms Satan’s standing as the father of the lie and the eternal loser when the good stand up to him.
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The post Satan Loses Again: Court Rejects the Satanic Temple’s Attack on Idaho’s Abortion Law appeared first on Return to Order.
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Author: Edwin Benson
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