Consistent with our tenets that call for bodily autonomy and acting in accordance with best scientific evidence, The Satanic Temple religiously objects to many of the restrictions that states have enacted that interfere with abortion access. TST is taking many steps on behalf of our members and those who share our beliefs to establish exemptions from laws that do not promote the health and safety of patients and violate our conscience and beliefs.
The Satanic Temple is committed to supporting its LGBTQIA+ members. Bodily autonomy has been a central pillar of The Satanic Temple's mission since its founding. TST trans members of any age who need support, as well as any other member who feels targeted or marginalized, may contact us at RRR@TheSatanicTemple.com so that we can provide counseling and assistance.
INITIATIVES
RELIGIOUS ABORTION RITUAL
The Satanic Temple's religious abortion ritual exempts TST members from enduring medically unnecessary and unscientific regulations when seeking to terminate their pregnancy. The ritual involves the recitation of two of our Tenets and a personal affirmation that is ceremoniously intertwined with the abortion. Because prerequisite procedures such as waiting periods, mandatory viewing of sonograms, and compulsory counseling contravene Satanists’ religious convictions, those who perform the religious abortion ritual are exempt from these requirements and can receive first-trimester abortions on demand in states that have enacted the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
WHAT ARE CRISISPREGNANCY CENTERS?
Crisis Pregnancy Centers, also known as “pregnancy resource centers” or “pregnancy support centers,” are structures that disguise themselves as abortion clinics to attract people who are dealing with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies. The centers often provide misinformation and promote a religious agenda to dissuade people from seeking abortion services. Centers are not HIPAA compliant, so they are not required to protect the information or identities of those who visit. There are roughly 3,000 of these fake clinics in the United States. The Satanic Temple has created flyers that disclose these facts about crisis centers. The flyers are intended to be downloaded from our website so that volunteers can distribute them outside of the fake clinics to people who might not be aware of their mission.
DOWNLOAD FLYER
Please download these PDFs and make copies to hand out in front of any crisis pregnancy center.
TIPS WHEN PASSING OUT FLYERS
- Always be courteous and respectful.
- Flyers are intended for people going into the crisis centers but may be handed out to curious people as well.
- When offering the flyer, ask, "Would you like to know a little information about crisis centers?"
- If a passer-by asks, "Why are you doing this?" Let them know you are helping people get accurate information so they can make decisions that best meet their needs.
- Do not engage in debate or long explanations. You can refer people to the TST website for more information.
HOW IS THE SATANIC ABORTION RITUAL LEGALLY PROTECTED?
As a federally-recognized religion, The Satanic Temple utilizes RFRA and the Hobby Lobby precedent to protect its members from unnecessary abortion regulations that inhibit their religious practices and force them to violate their deeply-held beliefs. Following the overturning of Roe v Wade, as you can imagine, each state has different laws and restrictions, and religious exemptions vary. Some states recognize religious exemptions, and some will not. The state you are in can make an enormous difference in whether the state government will recognize your right to utilize a religious exemption. Nevertheless, please know that TST will do our best to offer available resources, assist in hunting down information, and aid our members in restricted states to the best of our abilities. If you or someone you know is pregnant and wants to terminate their pregnancy, please get in touch with us so we can help in any way we can.
Download Regulation Exemption LetterHOW TO ENSURE YOUR RELIGIOUS REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
The First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause as well as several state Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRA), “protects religious practices and beliefs from government interference.
State laws governing abortions commonly serve no medical purpose and do not result in better health outcomes. Therefore, they unlawfully hinder access to the Satanic abortion ritual.
If your religious exemptions requests are denied when undergoing reproductive care or seeking to perform the Satanic abortion ritual, immediately contact TST at rrr@thesatanictemple.com with your name and phone number to start the next steps of resolving the situation and deciding whether to take legal action.
MISSOURI JUDY DOE SUIT
When TST member Judy Doe sought to terminate her pregnancy in the state of Missouri, she was faced with legal requirements that contravene her religious beliefs and were not medically necessary. Missouri mandated that she receive literature which asserts the arbitrary opinion that “the life of each human being begins at conception,” and that she endure a 72-hour waiting period, designed so that the state’s arbitrary position on life will be thoroughly considered before undergoing the procedure. TST argued in our lawsuit that the mandated imposition of religious opinions upon Satanists seeking to terminate a pregnancy violates TST’s deeply-held beliefs of bodily autonomy and scientifically-reasoned personal choice. We have appealed the case to the US Supreme Court for further consideration on our claims to religious freedom.
INFORMED CONSENT DATABASE
TST has released a comprehensive directory that addresses each state’s abortion restrictions regarding the informed consent process for pregnancy termination procedures. Many states have enacted informed consent statutes that interfere with TST's religious beliefs by requiring unnecessary prerequisite procedures and forcing Satanists to accept unscientific, arbitrary language before they are allowed to undergo an abortion. Whereas other research databases provide overviews of these regulations in convoluted grids or brief lists, only TST’s directory contains an exhaustive explanation of abortion statutes that illuminates the subtleties between state laws that other resources consider innocuous.
EXEMPTIONS FROM RESTRICTIONS AND OBSTACLES TO ABORTION ACCESS
TST insists that certain restrictions interfere with our religious practices. The rights of religious organizations to receive special consideration due to their beliefs has been repeatedly affirmed in courts and this position is further supported by Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) laws.
Both Indiana and Arkansas have successfully passed laws requiring health care facilities to bury or cremate fetal remains from spontaneous or induced abortion or ectopic pregnancy regardless of their patients’ wishes. This clearly constitutes a violation of the long-established domain of religious entities to handle the remains of the deceased. TST asserts its religious right to treat human tissue as medical waste.
WITHHOLDING OF MEDICAL INFORMATION
One of the fundamental tenets of TST is the need for best scientific information to inform our lives, actions, and decisions. When state laws require that medical professionals withhold information, they directly interfere with our religious practices. In Pennsylvania, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Arizona, doctors are not required to inform women of complications that may lead them to consider terminating their pregnancies. TST intends to take legal action to require doctors to inform their patients who share our beliefs that they might withhold this kind of information. If they fail to disclose in this scenario, they would be criminally violating their patient’s civil rights.
DOWNLOAD WITHHOLDING MEDICAL INFORMATION LETTERSTATE MANDATED MEDICAL PROCEDURES
Many states require that medically unnecessary procedures be performed prior to terminating a pregnancy. Procedures that have no medical purpose, but are nonetheless required under state law, can be objected to on religious grounds. Courts have upheld the rights of other religious organization to refuse certain procedures that violate the beliefs of their adherents and it is hoped that the courts would similarly approve requests made by members of TST.
DOWNLOAD STATE MANDATED MEDICAL PROCEDURES LETTERIN THE NEWS
RELIGIOUS REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS CAMPAIGN VIDEOS
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The Satanic Temple's Samuel Alito's Mom's Satanic Abortion Clinic Jingle #2
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The Satanic Temple's Samuel Alito's Mom's Satanic Abortion Clinic Jingle #3
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The Satanic Temple's Samuel Alito's Mom's Satanic Abortion Clinic Jingle #4
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The Satanic Temple unveils TST Health!
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Indiana & Idaho 4
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HBO MAX LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER
Share this information with people who share our deeply held beliefs who may find themselves subjected to restrictions that violate their beliefs
Donate to TST to help support religious reproductive rights
