Who is TST Health and
What is the Abortion Ritual?
WHO IS TST HEALTH?
TST Health is a collaborative of reproductive rights advocates and abortion care providers contracted and directed by The Satanic Temple to advance its Reproductive Religious Rights Campaign. TST Health seeks to expand access to medical abortions and TST's abortion ritual. TST Health provides high-quality, evidence-based medical care in an environment that values our care providers and the people we serve.
What is The Satanic Temple?
The mission of The Satanic Temple is to encourage benevolence and empathy, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense, oppose injustice, and undertake noble pursuits.
Consistent with TST’s tenets that call for bodily autonomy and acting in accordance with best scientific evidence, The Satanic Temple religiously objects to many of the restrictions that states have enacted that interfere with abortion access.
TST is taking many steps on behalf of our members and those who share our beliefs to promote reproductive rights. This includes working to establish exemptions from laws that do not promote the health and safety of patients and violate our conscience and beliefs, as well as making legal abortion more accessible through TST Health services.
What is an abortion ritual?
The Abortion Ritual serves as a protective rite. Its purpose is to cast off unwanted feelings that a patient may be experiencing due to choosing to have a legal and medically safe abortion. This ritual is designed to alleviate stressors and empower the patient to be guided by The Satanic Temple's Third and Fifth Tenets when pursuing their decision. The ritual serves to assist in affirming their decision and to ward off the effects of unjust persecution, which can cause one to stray from the paths of scientific reasoning and free will that TST Members strive to embody.
The ritual consists solely of spoken words. TST’s abortion ritual is exclusively verbal. It is meant to provide vocal affirmation and comfort for those obtaining an abortion. The oral ritual includes the recitation of The Satanic Temple's Third and Fifth tenets.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Prospective patients will complete a brief, confidential online screening form and review information on performing TST’s religious abortion ritual. A telehealth video appointment with our licensed healthcare practitioners will then be scheduled, and eligible patients will be able to order medication from our partner pharmacy.
Medication is discreetly packaged and arrives in the mail two to three days after the order is placed. Our telehealth staff will be available to patients by phone, text, or video chat every step of the way, and ordained ministers can assist with the Religious Abortion Ritual if requested.
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TST Health's services are available to those who are over 17, up to 11 weeks pregnant, located in New Mexico at the time of the telehealth appointment and medication delivery, medically eligible, and seek to perform TST’s religious ritual.
There are a few medical conditions that may make someone ineligible to receive abortion medication by mail, such as chronic adrenal failure or a bleeding disorder. If your medical history indicates you may be ineligible to receive TST Health's services, we’ll help guide you through your options.
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State law requires that all people seeking medication abortion services through TST Health be located in the state of New Mexico at the time of their virtual visit and that the medication be sent to a New Mexico mailing address.
We know this may present a challenge to some prospective patients. We, along with other organizations, are working on ways to overcome these obstacles.
If you need financial or logistical support to travel to perform your Abortion Ritual, we will guide you through all your options. You can email us anytime to discuss your situation, or we can talk about your options for assistance during your virtual appointment. We will do our best to help you overcome challenges and get the care you deserve.
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After your virtual appointment, we will send your prescription electronically to our partner, Honeybee Health. They will send you an email with a link to their website where you will make your payment and confirm your shipping information. You will receive your discreet package within 3-5 days, or you can upgrade to Express Mail for an extra fee.
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The package will arrive in a plain envelope with HH listed as the return address to protect your privacy.
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Standard FedEx Priority Mail should arrive within 3-5 business days and is included in the cost of the medication, or you can select FedEx Express shipping, usually arriving within 1-3 business days for a $25 fee. Business days are Monday through Friday, and packages will not be shipped on Saturday or Sunday.
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The standard abortion medication package, which includes abortion pills, nausea medication, ibuprofen, and two pregnancy tests, costs around $90. Let us know if you need help paying for your medication before your appointment by emailing us at [email protected].
TST Health services are free. Donations from members, supporters, and patients help us maintain this service, and donations are tax-deductible in accordance with IRS rules and regulations. If you have the means, please consider donating to support our work.
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Services are free at TST Health, but you may be interested in using your insurance to purchase your medication.
Most health insurance plans do not cover abortion medication, though some may allow you to submit your receipt for reimbursement. Our pharmacy partner, Honeybee Health, does not accept insurance, but we can send your prescription to an outside pharmacy of your choice.
If you need help paying for your medication, please contact us.
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If you need help paying for travel, childcare, lodging, or anything else, we will assist you in working out your options. You can email us before your appointment at [email protected] or let us know during your appointment. The earlier you let us know you need help, the better. We will do our best to remove as many barriers as possible by connecting you with other organizations that do amazing work to ensure access to abortion services. We are committed to getting you the care you deserve.
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Patients can receive a prescription for various contraceptives, including emergency contraception. Check out ella, Plan B, and information about various contraceptive methods, and let us know what you need. Our providers can prescribe pills, patch, ring, or depo shot and will counsel you on the risks and benefits of each during your virtual consultation.
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TST supports its members and those who are interested in performing TST’s religious rituals. TST believes everyone should have access to high-quality health care, regardless of economic status. We know cost can be a barrier for many people, so we rely on TST members and grants to offer this free medication abortion service.
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Abortion is legal in New Mexico. Regardless of where you live, if you are in the state of New Mexico during your video consultation and when you perform your abortion ritual, you will have abided by the law. However, if you travel to a state where abortion is illegal and need follow-up care, there may be some risks. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough information to know how state laws will be enforced. We believe that the religious nature of our care neutralizes this risk, but state courts must affirm this, and we are working toward attaining that confirmation.
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As long as you participate in TST’s religious abortion ritual, we serve everyone medically and legally eligible, regardless of their religious affiliation.
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You can find more information about TST here.
