The Satanic Temple has launched legal action against the new anti-abortion legislation in Texas.
The controversial new legislation, Senate Bill 8, bans abortions after six weeks in Texas and took effect last week after the Supreme Court's inaction.
The Supreme Court and a federal appeals court did not act upon objections from emergency requests brought forth by abortion providers.
This means that as of September 1, abortion after six weeks is illegal in the state - which is before many people even know they are pregnant, CNN reports.
Private lawsuits can therefore be brought against any pregnant person seeking to have an abortion after six weeks.
This amounts to a near-total ban on abortions and has no provision for victims of rape or incest.
As news of the new law taking effect came to light, Massachusetts-based group The Satanic Temple - which runs an officially recognized and tax-exempt religion - says it does not actually worship Satan in any way.
Instead, founder Lucian Greaves told PRX in 2019, the group sees Satan as a symbol of "rebellion against tyranny."
The group filed a letter to the Food and Drug Administration saying that abortion is a faith-based right, according to The Boston Herald.
It also tweeted that its lawyers have asked the FDA to give its members access to the pills Mifepristone, and Misoprostol, which are typically taken to induce a medical abortion.
The Satanic Temple's letter said the drugs are part of its "sacramental" abortion ritual, according to The Boston Herald.
It added that because of this, the access to the drugs would fall under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which allows Native Americans to use the hallucinogen peyote for traditional rituals, according to Texas media outlet KVUE.
"I am sure Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton - who famously spends a good deal of his time composing press releases about Religious Liberty issues in other states - will be proud to see that Texas's robust Religious Liberty laws, which he so vociferously champions, will prevent future Abortion Rituals from being interrupted by superfluous government restrictions meant only to shame and harass those seeking an abortion," wrote Lucien Greaves, the co-founder of the group.
"The battle for abortion rights is largely a battle of competing religious viewpoints, and our viewpoint that the nonviable fetus is part of the impregnated host is fortunately protected under Religious Liberty laws," he added.
In a statement released on Twitter, The Satanic Temple said: "Abortion laws in TX violate our religious rights and TST has taken legal action. If TX judges abide by the Constitution and legal precedent, then those who share our deeply held beliefs will be exempt from the state’s inappropriate efforts to restrict access to abortion services."
The Temple of Satan, which was founded in 2013, has a record of activism. Its stated mission is "to encourage benevolence and empathy, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense, oppose injustice and undertake noble pursuits."
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