https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/new-fundraiser

The Satanic Temple is opening a second abortion clinic! Donors can vote on the name. My favorites: Beelzabort The Preemptive Stork’s Abortion Clinic, and Ejaculate Misconception Family Unplanning Clinic

  • Leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 months ago

    TST’s abortion campaign - which is strongly opposed by multiple pro-abortion support groups in multiple States - is a classic example of how they operate.

    Not only are they depriving legitimate pro-abortion groups of attention and funding, they are getting people to donate money for their business.

    New Mexico, where their current clinic is, has no problem with abortion. I see they’re not naming the state where this new one will be but I’m betting it will be somewhere equally trouble-free for those seeking an abortion.

    What this ‘competition’ is doing, like all TST’s fundraisers, is getting you to fund their start up costs in an abortion friendly State without any requirement to give anyone a return on that donation.

    If you want to support pro-abortion causes - and you should - support organisations who will actually help people.

    • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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      1 month ago

      I would agree they aren’t the “most suited” organization to save abortion as there are many groups, like Planned Parenthood and others that are more dedicated to abortion access in the hardest places to obtain them. As far as I understand the TST’s primary focus is asserting freedom of association and ensuring government policy does not favour one particular religion. Abortion rights are then a corollary campaign under that.

      If a woman’s right to choose is being needlessly restricted due to religious pressures, using a group registered as religious to curb them would occur to me as a reasonable route to pursue simultaneously, even if not all the money would have been donated to groups that specialize in abortion access.

      • Leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        1 month ago

        Which would be fine if they were actually effective at anything besides trying to get money from people. They’ve lost every abortion related legal action they’ve started so far.

        By contrast, a religious group (the so-called ‘Hoosier Jews for Choice’) that aren’t inept and can actually be effective and aren’t more interested in your bank balance than your politics secured a landmark ruling for abortion rights in April this year.

        TST’'s finances are utterly opaque - only their two owners (because it is a business) know what comes in and what goes out and they aren’t telling. There are much better groups to donate both time, effort and money to instead of some very dodgy group with a worrying reputation.

        • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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          1 month ago

          I would argue they are effective in some areas, by offering confidential telehealth services that prescribe medication for those who have a NM mailing address and are in NM at the time of virtual visit, but a patient can be resident of any state regardless of what is banned there. Besides abortion, the group has had successes against religious favoritism in schools and legislative buildings, be it chaplains, after school programs, bringing to the forefront the fact the right is trying to force the church and state together into a fascist theocracy. Also, losing cases on allowing abortions for religious reasons, is not for nothing either, as it can make it difficult for religious groups to use faith as justification for the opposite for example.

          Again, I totally agree with you that abortion isn’t this group’s main subject of expertise or most influential division compared to other groups, but to say they aren’t effective and that they do nothing but take people’s money, I don’t think is true and I haven’t seen enough credible evidence to think otherwise either. I argue that while fighting religion with religion isn’t necessarily the most effective in all cases, it is one avenue of many to pursue against the puritan agenda and that’s what I believe the niche that TST fills.

          • Leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            1 month ago

            I’m not arguing that fighting religion with religion is a bad idea - I’m saying they’re not very good at it. The last time I checked they’d won 3 rulings out of a possible 32. That’s across all cases, not just abortion. In the meantime, religious groups that are not inept are winning cases. And the more headlines TST generate, the more posts like this one pop up across all forms of social media and the less attention people pay to legitimate groups that actually can - and do make a difference.

            I would urge you to look further into the histories of the owners of TST, one of who wanted to launch TST by publishing a sequel to Might Is Right a protofascist screed that Anton LaVey cribbed from for the Church of Satan.

            I also don’t think they’re entirely about taking people’s money. But they sure do do a lot of that and no one seems to know exactly where that money goes.

  • MacGuffin94@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I don’t have the 666 to spend but I think the Gestational Operation Practice Abortion Clinic, or GOP Abortion Clinic for short, would be a swell name.

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    This is pithy on it’s face. I’m not sure of the utility of opening a “Satanic Clinic” from the perspective of women in need of health care services.

        • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
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          2 months ago

          100% helpful. The satanic temple is a recognized organized religion in the US. It’s why they are so effective at shutting down “we will just have preachers in schools” initiatives. The Satanists can then send their preachers in, and the school cannot stop them legally. The programs always fold instead.

          Religious rights having outsided power in the US is 100% a goal of the conservative supreme court and the GOP. Any power they give to Christians can be claimed by Satanists too. By opening up a church which offers the sacred right of abortions, Satanists fight the weakening of the separation of church and state, or at a minimum, can undermine abortion bans

          Its a win win.

          • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            It’s why they are so effective at shutting down “we will just have preachers in schools” initiatives.

            That’s heavily overstated. And it largely works by scaring local bureaucrats into thinking they do actually have to host their goofy statue.

            In practice, they regularly lose in court. Most recently, the Temple lost a case in bright-blue Boston over their appeal to lead a prayer at the Boston City Council.

            Last year, a federal court threw out a case by the Temple to overturn the Indiana abortion ban.

            Religious rights having outsided power in the US

            Because they have large constituencies and enormous fundraising power. Not because officially reflexively allow any religious organization to act outside the law. The Satanic Temple is great at getting in the news and embarrassing local officials, but middling to useless at affecting public policy.

      • Bob Robertson IX @discuss.tchncs.de
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        2 months ago

        But even still… they should just make it a regular clinic. Don’t give it a funny name, don’t put their name on it, don’t do anything that will give ANYONE an uneasy feeling about using it when they are in need.

        If a woman needs/wants and abortion, she’s most likely gone through hell (no pun intended) making that decision. The last thing she needs is to see that her closest option is the ‘Hail Satan Abortionarium’ or feel that her situation is being used to score political points for some organization.

        I fully support TST and all that they do… but this just feels a bit sleazy.

        • Troubleinmind@lemmy.wtf
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          2 months ago

          They already have Samuel Alito’s Mom’s Satanic Abortion Clinic, so this is nothing new for them. It’s a creative way to fundraise and helps send a message to those trying to curb women’s rights 🤷‍♀️

        • Randomgal@lemmy.ca
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          2 months ago

          I see what you are saying, and fair enough. I’d say we do name hospitals and clinics, so I don’t see much of an issue on naming this one. If anything, I’m sure there are clinics with normal, pious names, that would outright refuse abortions. So…

      • TheMightyCanuck@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        I was more stating if they can classify these abortion centres as religious sites, then they would qualify. Not sure if they’re able to, or even willing.

      • LadyMeow@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 months ago

        Sensation is probably not how id describe i suppose, and i think they do also talk about how there are likely pockets of tst members that are, though i would have to rewatch to remember all the details. So watch the video, read that article, do some of your own research if so inclined. Maybe ill check out some claims from the article later, cant really dig right now.

      • Leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 months ago

        I strongly advise you watch the DeadDomain video and form your own opinions. Everything she claims in it is sourced. It is not at all what that Medium blogger says it is. If you prefer reading to video TempleWatcher has pages (with all points referenced) on the two owners Greaves and Jarry.

      • LadyMeow@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 months ago

        I believe its the temple, unfortunately. The founder is very shady and lots of structure that makes money seem to disappear if i remember

        • nick@midwest.social
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          2 months ago

          You might should find something to substantiate that before making allegations.

          Otherwise this is like a string of “they eat pets in Ohio” bullshit statements.

          • LadyMeow@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            2 months ago

            I mean i mentioned a 2 hour video that goes over it and they also provide sources. What in particular do you want them on, and ill see what i can find later?

            • Iapar@feddit.org
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              2 months ago

              You bring in the allegations so in the same post you should bring in the sources that support your claim.

              It is the most basic thing for having a serious conversation.

              And I don’t mean some YouTube video which is in itself, surprisingly, not a very reputable source.

              It is like me saying: “LadyMeow fucks donkeys. I saw it in a 2 hour YouTube video”. And the some idiots are just running with it and you are a donkey fucker now. Is that the world you want to live in? Being known as a donkeyfucker without ever having fucked one single donkey?