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The Satanic Temple Has Joined The Fight To Keep Abortion Legal

Home> News

Published 18:15 3 May 2022 GMT+1

The Satanic Temple Has Joined The Fight To Keep Abortion Legal

An unlikely group are fighting for the right to abortion, as the Row v. Wade precedent could be overturned.

Shola Lee

Shola Lee

The Satanic Temple has become an unlikely ally for women's rights activists, with the group working to ensure abortion stays legal.

Today (3 May), a draft report was leaked that suggests the US Supreme Court intends to overturn Roe v Wade, which set a legal precedent that women in the US had a fundamental right to choose whether to have an abortion, based on their constitutional right to privacy.

While it is unclear whether the leaked report reflects the Supreme Court's final decision on the matter, an unlikely source of support for women's rights has emerged.

Enter, the Satanic Temple.

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2021 Women's march in Washington DC demanding access to abortion.
Alamy

The Satanic Temple has long been pro-choice, even launching a lawsuit in 2021 that argued against the Texas law requiring a medically unnecessary sonograms and a 24-hour waiting period for an abortion.

What made the temple's lawsuit interesting is that instead of arguing women should have access to abortions based on a constitutional right to privacy, they argued that the Texas law infringed on the first amendment right to freedom of expression and belief.

The temple is essentially arguing that abortion restrictions go against the tenets of its religion, which promotes bodily autonomy and acting in accordance with scientific evidence.

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As the temple's website noted: "Consistent with our tenets that call for bodily autonomy and acting in accordance with best scientific evidence, The Satanic Temple religiously objects to many of the restrictions that states have enacted that interfere with abortion access.

"TST is taking many steps on behalf of our members and those who share our beliefs to establish exemptions from laws that do not promote the health and safety of patients and violate our conscience and beliefs."

Concern grows for access to abortion in Texas.
Alamy

As reported by The New Statesman, Matthew Kezhaya, a lawyer for the Satanic Temple, further stressed the importance of the case, arguing: "The reason this is important is because right now there are six out of nine judges on the Supreme Court who don’t like abortion, but they really like free exercise of religion and free speech.

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"What we are saying is if the two-hour waiting period kept somebody from attending mass and drinking the wine in a sacrament, it would prevent people from practising their religion. That law wouldn’t stand a chance with this [Supreme] Court. We are arguing that for the Satanic Temple, abortion is a religious right. We just want equal treatment."

Given the potential infringement on women's rights if Roe v Wade is overturned, arguments like the one presented by the temple could become far more necessary.

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]  

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: US News, Politics

Shola Lee
Shola Lee

Shola Lee began her journalism career while studying for her undergraduate degree at Queen Mary, University of London and Columbia University in New York. She has written for the Columbia Spectator, QM Global Bloggers, CUB Magazine, UniDays, and Warner Brothers' Wizarding World Digital. Recently, Shola took part in the 2021 BAFTA Crew and BBC New Creatives programme before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news, trending stories, and features.

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