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- Satanists are lobbying for access to abortion pills as a faith-based right.
- The Satanic Temple filed a letter to the FDA, saying the abortion drugs Mifepristone and Misoprostol are part of its "sacramental" abortion ritual.
- It's fighting against a new Texas law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
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The Satanic Temple is lobbying against a Texas law that bans abortions after a mother is six weeks into her pregnancy.
The Massachusetts-based group, which runs an officially recognized and tax-exempt religion, says it does not actually worship Satan in any way. Instead, founder Lucian Greaves told PRX in 2019, the group sees Satan as a symbol of "rebellion against tyranny."
The group filed a letter to the Food and Drug Administration saying that abortion is a faith-based right, according to The Boston Herald.
It also tweeted that its lawyers have asked the FDA to give its members access to the pills Mifepristone, and Misoprostol, which are typically taken to induce a medical abortion.
The Satanic Temple's letter said the drugs are part of its "sacramental" abortion ritual, per The Herald.
-The Satanic Temple (@satanic_temple_) September 1, 2021
It added that because of this, the access to the drugs would fall under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which allows Native Americans to use the hallucinogen peyote for traditional rituals, according to Texas media outlet KVUE.
"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," wrote Lucien Greaves, the co-founder of the group, in a statement, per KVUE.
The Texas 6-week abortion ban came into effect last Wednesday at midnight, after the US Supreme Court failed to block it based on a technicality. The ruling hinged on whether the court currently had the right to step into a dispute that the majority felt was not ready for a full hearing on its merits. The justices said in their decision they had not ruled on the central question of whether the new Texas law was constitutional.
The new law prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, and exemptions will only be made in cases of medical emergencies. It also offers $10,000 to private citizens who successfully sue abortion providers or anyone who assisted with abortions that violate the law.
President Joe Biden blasted the bill last week, saying it "blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe V Wade."