Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the arrest Monday of a midwife known as “Dr. Maria” on charges of operating a network of illegal abortion clinics in the Houston metro area.
Mr. Paxton, a Republican, said 48-year-old Maria Margarita Rojas was arrested in Waller County and would be charged with second-degree felonies for illegally performing abortions and practicing medicine without a license.
His office noted that a Texas law signed in 2021 allows the attorney general to punish “abortion providers — not patients” with criminal charges for violating a ban on most procedures after six weeks of pregnancy.
“In Texas, life is sacred,” Mr. Paxton said. “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.”
The Washington Times has attempted to reach Ms. Rojas’ attorneys for comment.
Mr. Paxton’s office said an investigation by its Law Enforcement Division revealed that she owned and operated the illegal abortion facilities Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in the city of Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring.
“These facilities unlawfully employed unlicensed individuals who falsely presented themselves as licensed medical professionals to provide medical treatment,” the office said. “Rojas also performed illegal abortion procedures in her clinics in direct violation of the Texas Human Life Protection Act.”
In late 2021, the Supreme Court allowed Texas to ban most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. After the high court overturned the national right to an abortion in June 2022, the state passed a stricter ban with a limited exception for the life of the mother.
On Monday, the Texas attorney general’s office said it filed a temporary restraining order to shut down Ms. Rojas’ network of clinics.
The office said Mr. Paxton would prosecute the case using a part of the 2021 law, which authorizes him to seek civil penalties of at least $100,000 per abortion performed at the venues.
