Photo Credit: Marie Young Mcancio
The Satanic Temple (TST) is suing the state of Texas for violating the religious rights of its members. For members of TST, the authority to make decisions about their bodies without guilt or unnecessary interference is a fundamental religious right. Our Religious Abortion Ritual sanctifies the abortion process by instilling confidence and protecting bodily rights when undergoing a safe and scientific procedure. Texas laws, such as the Texas Senate Bill 8, also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act, puts unscientific and unnecessary restrictions on access to abortion. This is contrary to the deeply-held religious beliefs of our members, and more importantly, they impede the ability of our members to perform this important, deeply personal religious ritual.
Fortunately, the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) exists to protect the deeply-held religious beliefs of Texas citizens. According to RFRA, any law that interferes with the performance of religious practices must demonstrate a compelling interest and be the least restrictive approach if the law is to be enforced. The sonograms, waiting periods, and time limits imposed on abortions by Texas law are entirely unnecessary. Therefore, Texas RFRA dictates that those restrictions must not be imposed on members of TST because those laws interfere with our members’ ability to practice our religion freely. Texas law is very clearly on TST’s side. Whether the judge hearing the case opts to abide by the law remains to be seen. Read Our Full Press Release.
