The Satanic Temple (TST) is expected to launch its first religious telehealth abortion clinic in New Mexico next week.
The new clinic will be led by TST Health, the organization's health division, and is named the Samuel Alito's Mom's Satanic Abortion Clinic, which is meant to take a shot at Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the conservative majority opinion that ultimately led to Roe v. Wade being overturned.
"In 1950, Samuel Alito's mother did not have options, and look what happened," said Malcolm Jarry, the cofounder of TST, in a statement. "Prior to 1973, doctors who performed abortions could lose their licenses and go to jail. The clinic's name serves to remind people just how important it is to have the right to control one's body and the potential ramifications of losing that right."
According to TST's website, the clinic is expected to launch on February 14, 2023. Additionally, TST Health will provide free resources to people outside New Mexico and travel assistance when possible.
"Patients pay a pharmacy for the medication, but medical and religious services are free," the website states.
As reported by CBN News, Abortion is legal in New Mexico at all stages of pregnancy. In November 2022, however, the city of Hobbs passed a local ordinance prohibiting abortion clinics from operating. Additionally, there has been a decrease in abortion clinics across the state in recent years.
According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, Bernalillo, Santa Fe and Doña Ana counties are just three of New Mexico's 33 counties with clinics that offer abortions.
TST states that abortion drugs from its new telehealth clinic will be sent to members "through the mail" and "for those who wish to perform TST's Abortion Ritual."
"The Satanic Temple, on behalf of its members, objects to government interference with abortion access and contests that laws that impede our faith in bodily autonomy and our ability to perform our Religious Abortion Ritual violate the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act," the group explained in a statement on its website.
TST, founded in 2012, is believed to have more than 300,000 members worldwide. The group says its Satanic abortion ritual is a "spiritual experience designed to instill confidence and self-worth in accordance to TST's religious beliefs."
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/SabdiZ
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
