Becca Monaghan
Jul 01, 2022
Mojo
The Satanic Temple (TST) is challenging the "extremely distressing" US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
TST has since described itself as "the leading beacon of light in the battle for abortion access" and gearing up to try and "protect religious abortion access for our members".
In the 6-3 majority to strip women's rights to abortion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote, "Abortion presents a profound moral issue on which Americans hold sharply conflicting views." At least 25 states now have to introduce new laws or revive old ones to restrict access to terminations.
The Satanic Temple said they would "take steps", including any legal action, to ensure their members do not have to endure hindrances to access.
They believe controlling women’s autonomy violates their "belief system", and now, they are the "only entity that can assert a religious liberty claim" that abortion is a "central part of a religious ritual that encourages self-empowerment and affirms bodily autonomy."
TST are also keen to provide their "own counselling" as an alternative to states that require mandatory abortion counselling documents.
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TST has also declared they'll be suing the state of Texas to protect their civil rights.
“While the SCOTUS (Supreme Court Of The US) decision is clearly a major setback, the Supreme Court has repeatedly affirmed religious rights," they penned.
“The Satanic Temple is currently suing the state of Texas to protect our civil rights.
"Our Texas claims are untethered to the due process Clause.
"They are a direct interpretation of the right of conscience in the Free Exercise Clause.”
They are also threatening to sue the US Food and Drug Administration for restricting access to the pill.
Satanic Temple spokesperson Lucien Greaves issued a statement that read: “I am sure Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — who famously spends a good deal of his time composing press releases about Religious Liberty issues in other states — will be proud to see that Texas’s robust Religious Liberty laws, which he so vociferously champions, will prevent future Abortion Rituals from being interrupted by superfluous government restrictions meant only to shame and harass those seeking an abortion.”
Despite TST's brow-raising name, "empathy, reason and advocacy" are said to be their core values after previously denouncing hate groups and collaborating with campaigns that support human rights in America.
The Satanic Temple's mission is to: "Encourage benevolence and empathy, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense, oppose injustice, and undertake noble pursuits."
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