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2mo ago

Texas Midwife Faces First Criminal Charges Under State Abortion Ban

Maria Margarita Rojas is accused of performing illegal abortions and operating clinics with unlicensed staff, in violation of Texas' restrictive abortion laws.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appears at a pretrial hearing in his securities fraud case before state District Judge Andrea Beall, Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at Harris County Criminal Courts at Law in Houston.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a statement at his office, May 26, 2023, in Austin, Texas.
FILE - Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a statement at his office, May 26, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference meeting on February 23, 2024, in National Harbor, Maryland.

Overview

  • Maria Margarita Rojas, a Houston-area midwife, has been charged with performing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without a license, marking the first prosecution under Texas' near-total abortion ban enacted in 2022.
  • Rojas allegedly operated three clinics in the Houston area that employed unlicensed individuals who presented themselves as licensed medical professionals.
  • The charges include second-degree and third-degree felonies, with potential penalties of up to 20 years in prison for the abortion-related offenses.
  • The Texas Attorney General’s Office has filed for a temporary restraining order to shut down the clinics as part of the ongoing investigation.
  • This case highlights the enforcement of Texas' strict abortion laws, which criminalize providers rather than patients, and reflects broader debates over reproductive rights in the post-Roe era.