Houston-Area Midwife Arrested in First Criminal Case Under Texas Abortion Ban

A Houston-area midwife has been detained for allegedly performing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without a license, marking a historic first under the stringent abortion restriction that Texas has in place.

Maria Margarita Rojas, 48 years old, was arrested in Waller County earlier this month and formally charged on Monday. The authorities accused her of illegally operating a network of clinics in Northwest Houston. Rojas was hauled into custody in Waller County.

On Monday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that Rojas had been arrested. He referred to the case as a milestone case in the state's post-Roe abortion legislation regime. In addition, her employee Jose Ley was taken into custody and is anticipated to face accusations that are comparable to those that were brought against her.

Rojas is accused of carrying out an abortion on a woman who has been named as "E.G." on two separate occasions during March. Additionally, Rojas is said to have carried out another abortion in Harris County earlier this year.

At first, Rojas was taken into custody at the beginning of March because he was unlawfully practicing medicine. An extra accusation of having an abortion without a doctor's permission was added to her case on Monday.

According to the paperwork filed with the court, Rojas and Ley are currently being held on a combined bail of 700,000. The employees at the clinics in Waller and Harris counties were not notified of her arrest. A staff member at the Cypress location responded to a question about affirmative claims. They shared, “Not at all. The entire thing is a lie.”

Given that Texas has one of the most stringent abortion laws in the country, it is anticipated that this case will establish a precedent in the legal system.

‍