A 48-year-old midwife has been arrested for allegedly performing illegal abortions and running unlicensed medical clinics in the Houston area Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Monday.
Maria Margarita Rojas, known as “Dr. Maria,” was arrested in Waller County and charged with the illegal performance of an abortion, a second-degree felony, as well as practicing medicine without a license.
Paxton said an investigation revealed Rojas operated multiple clinics under the names Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring.
Officials say these clinics employed unlicensed individuals who posed as medical professionals, and Rojas performed abortion procedures in violation of the Texas Human Life Protection Act.
“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 in a statement.
In addition to the arrest, Paxton’s Healthcare Program Enforcement Division has filed for a temporary restraining order to shut down Rojas’s clinics. The Attorney General’s Office has the authority to seek civil penalties of at least $100,000 per violation for unlawful abortion procedures.
The case was referred to Paxton’s office by Waller County District Attorney Sean Whittmore. Under Texas law, abortion providers—not patients—are held criminally responsible for illegal procedures.