October 30, 2023

Federal Judge Dismisses Satanic Temple Lawsuit Against Indiana Pro-life Law

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R)
On October 25, US District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson dismissed the Satanic Temple's lawsuit challenging Indiana's post-Roe law protecting the unborn from abortion.

Indiana SEA 1, signed into law by Gov. Eric Holcomb in August 2022, protects unborn children from abortion except in cases of rape, incest, pregnancy puts the mother's life at risk, or when the child is diagnosed with a fatal anomaly. The Satanic Temple's lawsuit alleged that Indiana's law conflicted with the First Amendment and Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Magnus Stinson ruled that the Satanic Temple did not have standing to sue because it does not run any abortion clinics in the state (though it does run a telehealth clinic in New Mexico). Further, Stinson wrote in her decision that the Satanic Temple failed to present any evidence that one of its members was harmed by the law.

“This lawsuit was ridiculous on its face, but this court decision is important because it sustains a pro-life law that is constitutionally and legally sound,” Indiana Attorney General Rokita said in a press release. “We Hoosiers continue to build a solid culture of life whether satanic cultists like it or not.”