Activists all over stood up against the Heartbeat Bill, the recently-vetoed Ohio bill that would have banned all abortions after six weeks. Turns out, the Satanic Temple was behind them every step of the way. While pro-choice advocates argued that the bill was overly restrictive and would put pregnant people at risk, the Satanic Temple had a different approach.
“We do not advocate for a belief in the soul, therefore we feel that complex cerebral functions necessary for perception are what makes a person a person," Lucien Greaves, a spokesperson for the Temple said. "The non-viable fetus (a fetus that cannot survive outside the woman’s body) is, we feel, a part of the woman’s own body, and it is her choice whether or not she continues the pregnancy."
All in all, Greaves clarified that the tenets of the Satanic Temple uphold bodily autonomy, and rely on science to determine the truth. "As the Ohio Bill is imposed for no medical purpose and presents no compelling state interest, it is simply a violation of our free exercise, we will fight back against it, and we will very likely prevail.”
Luckily, the Heartbeat Bill didn't pass, but Ohio Gov. John Kasich did sign into law a bill that restricts abortions to twenty weeks. We'll have to wait and see how the Satanists feel about this development.
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