Texas: ‘Satanic’ abortion row

A new law in Texas banning abortion from as early as six weeks has been welcomed by Christian and other pro-life groups, but condemned by abortion-rights activists.

The so-called Heartbeat Act was allowed to go ahead by the Supreme Court and came into force at midnight on 1 September. There were reports of abortion clinics performing abortions right up to 11.59 the night before to beat the deadline.

And in a disturbing development, The Satanic Temple has formally requested religious exemption to access abortion-inducing drugs mifepristone and misoprostol without a prescription for its members, claiming that ‘Satanic abortions are protected by religious liberty laws’. The group, which claims not to believe in a literal ‘Satan’, states that the ‘satanic abortion ritual … sanctifies the abortion process’.