A Texas midwife has been arrested and charged on allegations that she performed illegal abortions, the state’s Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Monday.
Maria Margarita Rojas, 48, faces one charge of illegally performing an abortion, as well as a charge of practicing medicine without a license, according to a news release from Paxton’s office. Court records obtained by USA TODAY show that Rojas was officially charged on March 12 for practicing medicine without a license, a third-degree felony.
As of Monday afternoon, online court records do not indicate whether Rojas has an attorney representing her or when she will make her first court appearance. Waller County District Attorney Sean Whittmore referred the case to Paxton for prosecution.
“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 said.
Paxton accuses midwife of ‘illegal abortions’
Paxton said that Rojas, who identified herself as “Dr. Maria,” operates three clinics in the Houston area. She was taken into custody in Waller County, located northwest of Houston.
According to online licensure records, Rojas has a current midwife license, which she has held since 2018.
The attorney general accused Rojas of performing illegal abortions in her clinics, as well as employing people who “falsely presented themselves as licensed medical professionals to provide medical treatment.”
Paxton’s office also says that Rojas is alleged to have directly violated the Texas Human Life Protection Act. Apart from the charges against Rojas, Paxton is also seeking a temporary restraining order that would shut down the three clinics that Rojas operated.
“Texas law holds abortion providers − not patients − criminally responsible for unlawful procedures,” the office said.
Midwife says charges are ‘shocking’
Holly Sherman, a midwife who runs the Tomball Birth Center where Rojas worked part-time, told the Texas Tribune that the allegations against Rojas were “shocking.”
“I don’t believe it for one second,” she said. “I’ve known her for eight years and I’ve never heard her talk about anything like that. I just can’t picture Maria being involved in something like this.”
Sherman described Rojas as a devout Catholic who provided care for primarily Spanish-speaking low-income communities.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Waller County District Attorney did not immediately return USA TODAY’s request for comment on Monday.
Texas’ restrictive abortion laws
The arrest is apparently the first criminal charge of its kind under Texas’ near-total abortion ban.
Texas has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the United States, prohibiting abortion in almost all cases. The Texas Human Life Protection Act, which is the current law in the state and went into effect in 2022, gives no allowances for early-stage pregnancies or exceptions for rape or incest.
Under state law, the attorney general has the right to seek civil penalties of at least $100,000 per violation for the unlawful performance of an abortion. Patients who get an abortion aren’t criminally liable.
Abortions can only be performed when the life or health of the pregnant mother is in danger, performing an illegal abortion in the state is a second-degree felony.
Rojas’ arrest comes only months after Paxton sued a New York doctor who is accused of sending abortion pills to Texas in the mail. In that case, a judge in Texas fined the doctor more than $100,000.
Contributing: Reuters
