In a move that underscores the alarming consequences of Texas’ near-total abortion ban, state Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced the arrest of Maria Margarita Rojas, a midwife accused of providing illegal abortion services. The charges of illegal performance of an abortion and practicing medicine without a license could lead to decades behind bars for Rojas, making her one of the first individuals criminally prosecuted under the state’s draconian anti-abortion laws.
Dr. Maria, and Jose Ley, her employee, allegedly operated at least three clinics in the Houston area where authorities claim abortion procedures were performed. The clinics, which publicly advertised services such as ultrasounds and vaccines, are now the focus of Paxton’s latest anti-abortion crackdown, with his office filing a temporary restraining order to shut them down.
According to court records, Rojas was initially taken into custody in Waller County on March 6 for allegedly practicing medicine without a license and was later released on a $10,000 bond. However, on Monday, March 17, she was arrested again along with Ley and now faces felony charges. Their combined bond has been set at $2.1 million. Additionally, Paxton announced that he has filed a temporary restraining order to close Rojas’s clinics.
“In Texas, life is sacred,” Paxton declared in his statement, doubling down on his commitment to enforcing some of the harshest abortion restrictions in the country. But while Texas officials frame this prosecution as a victory for their so-called ‘pro-life’ agenda, reproductive rights advocates see it for what it truly is: a ruthless attack on bodily autonomy and a harrowing warning for those who dare to assist people seeking abortion care.
In Texas, the charge of practicing medicine without a license carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, while the performance of an abortion is up to 20 years.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Texas has led the charge in criminalizing abortion providers and restricting reproductive healthcare. The state’s law bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with only narrow exceptions for life-threatening conditions, exceptions that have been widely criticized as vague and insufficient.
Texas, which already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, stands to see even worse outcomes as abortion bans push reproductive healthcare providers out of practice. When healthcare professionals are forced to weigh the risk of imprisonment against their duty to care for their patients, pregnant people lose access to essential, sometimes life-saving, medical support.
The aggressive prosecution of Rojas highlights a critical and dangerous reality of the chilling effect these laws have on maternal healthcare providers. Midwives, doulas, and other healthcare professionals who serve pregnant people, especially in marginalized communities, now face the terrifying risk of criminal prosecution simply for providing compassionate care.
