Friend of the Devil Is a Friend Of Mine

The Satanic Temple (TST), an IRS-recognized Church that calls itself a “nontheistic” religious group, and rejects any notions of devil-worship, etc., has filed a lawsuit before the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas against the state of Texas for impeding the free exercise rights of a member, Ann Doe, seeking an abortion. Doe is a pregnant woman who lives more than 100 miles from the nearest abortion clinic. The suit argues that members have a right to a religious accommodation of its members to engage in the abortion ritual under the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It claims that TST has a constitutional right under the Texas Constitution to the free exercise of religious practices, including the abortion ritual, and specific to the Texas legislature’s new anti-abortion law, First Amendment “conduct,” including TST’s religious abortion ritual, is not permitted to be the target of civil actions filed under SB8.