Cosmopolitan, a women's magazine read by millions worldwide, has written a disturbingly sympathetic report about The Satanic Temple's new telehealth abortion services. Pro-lifers have called it a sign that Americans needs to go back to church.
The article about the oddly named Samuel Alito's Mom's Satanic Abortion Clinic appears in the latest November/December edition of the magazine and the feature was promoted on Cosmopolitan's Instagram page, which has 4.2 million followers.
"Samuel Alito's Mom's Satanic Abortion Clinic. Does it sound like pure clickbait? Sure. But beneath the outlandish branding lies a sincere mission," the magazine enthuses.
The feature gives the account of a 37-year-old mother who decided to use The Satanic Temple's "Religious Abortion Ritual". "I think it's genius," she said.
The ritual, which is optional, involves women finding a quiet space prior to taking the abortion medication and sitting in front of a mirror to "gaze at your reflection and focus on your personhood".
This is followed by saying "One's body is inviolable, subject to one's own will alone," before women take the abortion medication, and say the following affirmation: "Beliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one's beliefs. By my body, my blood; by my will, it is done."
The feature describes The Satanic Temple [TST] as a "nontheistic faith" and says that it seeks "to take pervasive moral panic and flip it on its head, utilizing Satanists' reputation for defiance to expand access to urgent health care".
Author Arielle Domb."At first glance, The Satanic Temple's new telehealth venture, named after Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr.'s mom, seems like a social experiment in trolling. But as Cosmo reports, the fully credentialed clinic is serving real patients and has a real chance of breaking the religious right's grip on abortion law.
She continues later: "Never mind that Satanists don't actually worship the devil. There are no ritual sacrifices or quests for supernatural powers at TST.
"In reality, Satanism is a nontheistic faith in which TST's roughly 1.5 million global members view Satan more like a mascot, one depicted not as a dark, omniscient deity but as a literary character — a venerable symbol of rebellion, rational inquiry, personal sovereignty, and resistance against tyranny."
Graphics accompanying the feature piece use the inverted cross, a symbol commonly used by satanists. Another picture shows a red phone decorated with the pentagram.
The Satanic Temple was overjoyed with the article and issued a statement praising the piece for bringing attention to its cause.
"Our feature in Cosmopolitan is a monumental moment in our ongoing battle to protect bodily autonomy," it said.
"The article brings national attention to our innovative approach to reproductive rights through our first telehealth abortion clinic, The Samuel Alito's Mom's Satanic Abortion Clinic, and highlights our legal arguments to protect our members' religious right to practise the abortion ritual."
However, the article has alarmed pro-life group Live Action, who say it is a sign that America needs to return to church. In an op-ed, Live Action's Nancy Flanders said, "If anything is obvious based on Cosmo's celebration and normalization of The Satanic Temple's ritual abortions, it's that this is our cue to take our children back to church, to stop focusing on self-empowerment, and to stop allowing the culture to raise our children."
Cosmo's Instagram post promoting the article has also attracted scathing comments. One Instagram user wrote: "Wow! I always knew your magazine was a trash can but this is just as creepy as it gets."
