Texas midwife charged with illegally performing abortions
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Ken Paxton outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 9, 2019. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A Texas midwife was arrested and charged with illegally performing abortions, the state's attorney general announced Monday.
The big picture: The case is believed to be one of the first in which a health care provider was charged with violating a state abortion ban since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Driving the news: Maria Margarita Rojas, 48, is accused of illegally operating a network of clinics in the Houston area, according to a statement from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's (R) office.
- "These facilities unlawfully employed unlicensed individuals who falsely presented themselves as licensed medical professionals to provide medical treatment," the attorney general's office said.
- Rojas, also known as "Dr. Maria," was charged with the illegal performance of an abortion, which is a second-degree felony in the state. She was also charged with practicing medicine without a license.
What they're saying: Paxton said in a statement he "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."
- He added: "Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable."
- Holly Shearman, clinical director of Tomball Birth Center, where Rojas worked part-time, told Texas Tribune she was "shocked" by the arrest.
- "I don't believe it for one second," she said of the allegations against Rojas, whom she described as skilled midwife and devout Catholic. "I've known her for eight years and I've never heard her talk about anything like that."
- Representatives at the clinics Rojas works at did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Zoom out: Paxton sued a New York doctor last December for sending abortion medication to Texas. The doctor, Margaret Daley Carpenter, was later indicted in Louisiana, but N.Y. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) rejected an extradition request due to the Empire State's shield laws.
Zoom in: Texas' abortion law, the strictest state measure at the time it went into effect on Sept. 1, 2021, banned the procedure after a fetal heartbeat could be detected, around five or six weeks.
- A year later, a "trigger law" made performing an abortion a felony.
- The state's ban, which preceded the Dobbs decision, forced clinics across the state to either close permanently or relocate to other states.
- Under Texas' law, a licensed physician can perform an abortion only if the pregnant person's life is at risk or if the pregnancy "poses a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function." The provider must also attempt to save the fetus.
Go deeper: Texas abortion ban 3 years on: Forcing patients out of state, fueling 2024 debate
