The group, which denies the existence of Satan but associates itself with satanic imagery, says the online facility will provide medication abortion pills by mail.
A mother holds her baby’s hand for the first time. (photo: Kalle Gustafsson / Flickr (CC BY 2.0).)
The Satanic Temple, a political activist group known for protesting religious symbolism in public spaces, has announced that it will be opening a free abortion facility in New Mexico offering prescriptions for drugs that cause abortion.
“TST is proud to expand reproductive options for our members. This is just the beginning,” said Erin Helian, executive director of campaign operations for the group. “We will remain steadfast as we continue the fight to uphold reproductive justice in the United States.”
Abortion is legal up to the point of birth in New Mexico, except in the cities of Clovis and Hobbs, which passed laws banning abortion following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. TST’s move is seen as an attempt to counter any restrictions on abortion in the state.
The group, which denies the existence of Satan but associates itself with satanic imagery, says the online facility will provide medication abortion pills by mail to those “who wish to perform The Satanic Temple’s religious abortion ritual.”
The opening of an abortion facility follows a series of highly publicized stunts the group has orchestrated to challenge what it sees as an undue freedom of religion exercised in the public square.
According to their press release, TST “confronts religious discrimination to secure the separation of church and state and defend the constitutional rights of its members.”
Past initiatives include placing a bronze “Baphomet” statue in front of the Oklahoma Capitol to protest a statue of the Ten Commandments. The group also made headlines for hosting “After School Satan” clubs at a public schools that have Christian “Good News” clubs.
The New Mexico abortion facility will be called “The Samuel Alito’s Mom’s Satanic Abortion Clinic,” according to TST’s website.
Alito is the U.S. Supreme Court justice who wrote the majority opinion for the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case in June 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade.
The Satanic Temple wrote on its website: “In 1950, Samuel Alito’s mother did not have options. The clinic’s name serves to remind people just how important it is to have the right to control one’s body and the potential ramifications of losing that right.”
Posted by 