Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has led a charge against a Houston-area midwife, Maria Margarita Rojas, for her involvement in providing what have been deemed illegal abortions and operating undesignated medical clinics. Rojas, a 48-year-old known to her community as "Dr. Maria," was arrested in Waller County on charges related to the illegal performance of abortion procedures, a second-degree felony, and also for practicing medicine without a license, as seen in a statement from the Texas Attorney General's Office.
According to the Attorney General's Office, Rojas owned and ran multiple clinics, including Clinica Waller Latinoamericana, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic. These clinics are accused of employing unlicensed personnel who pose as medical professionals to provide services, which includes performing illegal abortion procedures. "In Texas, life is sacred. I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted," Paxton affirmed.
Under the watch of the Attorney General's Law Enforcement Division, an extensive investigation unfolded, revealing the accused's clinic network had been practicing outside of the legal boundaries set by the Texas Human Life Protection Act. This act, following the controversial abortion legislation in Texas, has positioned the state at the forefront of a national debate on reproductive rights.
Paxton's Healthcare Program Enforcement Division has filed for a temporary restraining order to stop operations at Rojas’s clinics. The Texas Human Life Protection Act allows the Attorney General to impose fines starting at $100,000 per violation for unlawful abortion conduct. Rojas’s arrest and the clinic crackdown highlight Texas’s increasing focus on criminalizing abortion providers, holding them accountable rather than the patients, according to the Texas Attorney General's Office.
Amid continued national contention surrounding reproductive rights, the state of Texas remains steadfast in its resolve to impose stringent controls over the provision of abortion services, as exemplified by the recent enforcement actions. The case has been referred to Paxton for prosecution by Waller County District Attorney Sean Whittmore, and it serves as a clear indication of the legal ramifications facing those who are found to violate state laws concerning abortion.
