The Satanic Temple (TST), a non-theistic activist organization based in Salem, Massachusetts, has announced plans to open its third telehealth abortion clinic in Maine on June 14, 2025, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s birthday.

The clinic, provocatively named “The President’s Yuge Most Beautiful Tremendous Satanic Abortion Clinic,” is part of TST Health, the group’s reproductive rights initiative.

Alongside providing abortion services, TST promotes what it calls a “Satanic Abortion Ritual,” framing abortion as a religious practice protected under religious freedom laws. This move has sparked significant controversy, drawing criticism from pro-life advocates and religious groups.

The new Maine facility will offer telehealth services, providing virtual screenings, consultations, and prescriptions for abortion-inducing drugs like mifepristone and misoprostol, mailed through TST’s pharmacy partner, Honeybee Health, for $91 per procedure.

All other healthcare services, including virtual appointments and 24/7 support, will be free, funded by donor contributions.

This marks TST Health’s third clinic, following “Samuel Alito’s Mom’s Satanic Abortion Clinic” in New Mexico and “Right to Your Life Satanic Abortion Clinic” in Virginia. Since opening its first clinic in 2023, TST claims to have facilitated over 100 abortions in New Mexico at minimal cost to patients.

TST Executive Director Erin Helian emphasized the group’s commitment to expanding abortion access, stating, “We at TST Health will continue to bring abortion care wherever we can and hope to grow even further in the future.”

The organization argues that telehealth abortions enhance safety by increasing access, countering claims that such services pose risks due to the lack of in-person consultations.

Helian noted that staff conduct multiple virtual visits to discuss risks and urge patients to know the location of nearby medical facilities for potential complications.

Central to TST’s advocacy is its “Satanic Abortion Ritual,” described as a “spiritual experience designed to instill confidence and self-worth” in accordance with the group’s tenets, particularly the belief that “one’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.”

The ritual involves steps such as reciting affirmations like “By my body, my blood, by my will, it is done,” looking into a mirror to affirm personhood, and reviewing stories of abortion rights advocates to “subdue stigmas.”

TST argues that this ritual qualifies abortion as a religious practice, exempting it from restrictive state laws under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

The group has filed lawsuits in states like Texas, Indiana, and Idaho, claiming that abortion bans infringe on their members’ religious rights.

TST asserts that prerequisites like waiting periods or mandatory counseling are akin to imposing burdens on other religious practices, such as baptism or communion.

However, legal experts note that courts may not automatically recognize the ritual as a protected religious practice, as RFRA requires demonstrating a sincerely held belief and balancing state interests.

The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from pro-life advocates and religious organizations.

Dr. Donna Harrison, director of research at the American Association of Pro-life OBGYNs, warned that abortion drugs like mifepristone carry risks, including sepsis or complications from undiagnosed ectopic pregnancies, which telehealth cannot adequately screen for.

She stated, “In addition to ending the lives of preborn children, the abortion drug mifepristone has the potential to risk the life of the pregnant woman as well.”

Catholic groups, such as the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops, have condemned TST’s clinics, with leaders like Archbishop John Wester expressing dismay at the “Religious Abortion Ritual.”

Pro-life attorney Kelsey Hazzard, founder of Secular Pro-Life, argued that religious freedom does not justify human rights violations, comparing TST’s claims to Jehovah’s Witnesses denying children medical care.

Critics also view TST’s naming conventions and timing as deliberately provocative. The Maine clinic’s name and its opening on Trump’s birthday are seen as mocking the former president, who appointed justices instrumental in overturning Roe v. Wade.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis previously blamed Trump’s administration for granting TST IRS recognition as a religion, a status that bolsters its legal arguments.