Yes, you read that correctly, Abortion is apparently an expression of religious freedom. Challenging the Indiana abortion ban in court, the Satanic Temple argues, this law "prevents members of The Satanic Temple from exercising their freedom to bodily autonomy. The suit further states the ban infringes on the religious organization’s belief that an embryo or fetus is part of the pregnant person’s body between conception and viability, and “not imbued with any being or existence separate and apart from that of the involuntary pregnant woman herself.”
It further argues that the Indiana abortion ban is a violation of the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by imposing involuntary servitude, and it lists violations of the 14th Amendment, including discrimination against people who become pregnant by accident while engaging in protected sex.
The Satanic Temple is also suing the states of Texas and Idaho regarding the state's Abortion ban, alleging certain state-mandated abortion restrictions violate TST members' religious beliefs.
The Satanic Temple considers abortion to be a religious practice and should be granted under the rights of the constitution for religious expression. From the Satanic Temple Website, "While legal precedent dictates that we have the right to practice our Abortion Ritual, unimpeded by government restrictions, neither a violation of that right nor what the appropriate remedy is has yet to be recognized by the courts. Until the law is settled on this issue, any legal demand for a right to abortion services without government interference will likely result in litigation. The abortion ritual should be performed in consultation with a minister of The Satanic Temple."
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