The Satanic Temple has announced the opening of a second abortion clinic that it says will offer a “religious” approach to reproductive rights.
The initiative is designed to challenge strict state abortion bans by framing the procedure as a spiritual necessity.
Founded in 2013 and based in Salem, Massachusetts, the Satanic Temple was established in reaction to the “intrusion of Christian values into American politics.”
The new clinic, called ‘Right to Your Life Satanic Abortion Clinic,’ is located in Virginia and aims to provide free medical abortions through telehealth exams and appointments to participants taking part in what the temple describes as a ‘ ritual of destruction’.
The ‘Satanic Abortion Ritual’, which the temple says is a deeply held religious belief, allows women to receive abortion services while ‘affirming their right to bodily autonomy as a religious practice.’
Founded in 2013 and based in Salem, Massachusetts, the Satanic Temple was established in reaction to the “intrusion of Christian values into American politics.” Pictured: Outside the Satanic Temple headquarters in Salem, Massachusetts.
The new clinic, called ‘Right to Your Life Satanic Abortion Clinic’, will be located in Virginia with the goal of providing free medical abortions under the guise of spiritual need.
The temple specifies the steps to follow before, during and after the abortion.
To correctly perform the ritual, participants will need a copy of the Third and Fifth Tenants of the Satanic Temple and the personal affirmation, according to the Ritual abortion procedure.
By undergoing the ritual, it is believed that they “shed the notions of guilt, shame and mental distress that a patient may be experiencing when choosing to undergo a legal and medically safe abortion,” the organization said. website read.
By invoking religious freedom, the temple seeks to test the limits of the law, rejecting what they consider oppressive legislation, flaunting the motto: “Abortion is a religious right.”
The ‘Satanic Abortion Ritual’, which the temple says is a deeply held religious belief, allows women to receive abortion services while ‘affirming their right to bodily autonomy as a religious practice.’ Pictured: A brochure produced to promote the new Virginia-based clinic.
An abortion table with a model fetus in the abortion room of the Satanic Temple in Salem, Massachusetts, designed as part of a parody of a Christian conversion center.
Items, including tiny model fetuses, intended to represent an evangelical Sunday school and a conversion school decorate the tables of the Satanic Temple in Salem, Massachusetts.
Erin Helian, executive director of the Satanic Temple, told the christian publication that the group received funding from donors, allowing it to open the Virginia dispensary.
The temple has said it has not partnered with any outside organizations to operate its two telehealth clinics, although the group does work with online pharmacy Honey Bee Health.
“Our staff meets with each patient virtually through a series of online visits to ensure the safety of each patient, including follow-up meetings,” Helian said.
“Our staff carefully discuss potential risks with each patient and for this reason we urge each patient to know where their nearest medical facility is in the unlikely event that complications may arise.”
The temple has said it has not partnered with any outside organizations to operate its telehealth clinics, although the group does work with online pharmacy Honey Bee Health. “Our staff meets virtually with each patient to ensure their safety,” he said.
He continued: ‘We disagree with the idea that telehealth care puts patients at risk. Instead, we maintain that by expanding care and access, telehealth clinics, like ours, can save lives.’
Abortion is one of the temple’s many advocacy campaigns, as the organization maintains that abortion is a religious right that opposes traditional Christian beliefs.
After the reversal of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide, the Satanic Temple opened its first “religious abortion clinic” in New Mexico in February 2023.
The facility, called ‘Samuel Alito’s Mom’s Satanic Abortion Clinic’ after Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who issued the ruling that overturned Roe, has offered 100 abortions to New Mexico women since it opened.
The average cost of an abortion through temple services is $91, according to the Satanic Temple.