(Corine Gatti, Headline USA) The Satanic Temple’s attempt to classify abortion as a religious ritual was rejected by a federal court last week despite their lawyers citing the Temple’s “tenets,” one of which proclaimed, “One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone,” a variation of the common, “My body, my choice” slogan used by pro-abortion activists.
The Satanic Temple argued that pro-life laws in Texas violated religious freedom. They claimed that abortions, particularly in the first trimester, were considered a religious ritual in their belief system under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a 1993 federal law that made it illegal for states to interfere in anyone’s religion without demonstrating a compelling interest. The court dismissed the complaint.
The Satanic Temple initially filed a complaint citing violation of freedom of speech and religion under the Texas heartbeat bill. They amended their complaint after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, stating that Texas laws prevented them from practicing abortion rituals.
“The Satanic Temple considers it a victory when they can undermine sincerely held religious beliefs by pretending their legal complaints based on ‘religious freedom’ are legitimate and deserve the same consideration given to religions like Christianity,” Arielle Del Turco, director at Family Research Council’s Center for Religious Liberty, told the Washington Stand.
The Satanic Temple does not believe in the concept of a soul. Therefore, the disposal of nonviable fetal tissue up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, as part of their ritual, did not involve the killing of a soul. They viewed it as a vital religious ceremony, and the new law in Texas infringed upon their right to religious freedom.
After Roe was overturned, the Temple announced it would open an abortion facility selling abortifacient drugs and named “Samuel Alito’s Mom’s Satanic Abortion Clinic,” named after the Catholic Supreme Court Justice who wrote the opinion overturning Roe. People are asked if they would be “Interested in performing TST’s abortion ritual,” the website instructed.
Elizabeth Graham, president of Texas Right to Life, expressed disgust at the idea of ongoing sacrifice of innocent blood.
“When you think of ugliness that makes your skin crawl, Satanic abortion rituals are almost unimaginable,” Graham told Life News. “Satan has always demanded the shedding of innocent blood. This child-sacrifice continues today despite laws that safeguard preborn children.”
