Recently profiled in the 2019 documentary Hail Satan?, The Satanic Temple is a non-theistic religious group. Their religious beliefs, not centered around any deity, are based on 18th Century Enlightenment ideals. Their central values are secularism and a focus on individual liberties.
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The Satanic Temple has gained an increasing reputation in recent years for their progressive politics. Their progressive—and often rather aggressive—brand of activism doesn’t only involve holding signs in the streets.
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It often involves taking people and governments to court—Minnesota, Arkansas, Arizona, Texas, Boston, even private corporations.
It comes as no surprise, then, that they’re using their religious status to protect the reproductive rights upheld by Roe V. Wade.
Late on the evening of September 1, 2021, SCOTUS upheld a controversial Texas law banning abortions after week 6 of pregnancy. Earlier that day, The Satanic Temple’s lawyers had already sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), demanding access to Misopostol and Mifepristone—pills that induce abortions—“without being subjected to the agency’s regulations.” This demand was made under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
The Satanic Temple then posted this announcement to their Twitter account, which has since gone viral:
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Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the Temple, told the Daily Dot in a recent phone interview that the organization has litigated in defense of reproductive rights on religious grounds in Missouri as well as Texas, where the lawsuit is ongoing.
In 2020, The Satanic Temple ritualized abortion procedures for its members. This ritual was created to meet the emotional needs of congregants, and to combat increasing amounts of legislation that encroach upon a woman (or nonbinary person)’s right to choose.
The ritual includes a medical examination to protect the individual’s health, as well as counseling before and after the abortion. The counseling is based on individual ethical values, focusing on the significance of both science and personal freedom.
“We respect their choice,” Greaves stated. “And we respect their decision as being the most valid decision within this process.”
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Sounds like some of the people who regularly attend church services still have a lot to learn about compassion and respect—including from the folx who cheerfully shout, “Hail, Satan!”
Lead image: @thesatanictemple/Instagram
*First Published: September 9, 2021, 10:16 am
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