Texas woman arrested for providing ‘illegal abortions,’ Texas attorney general says
By Michelle Watson, CNN
(CNN) — A Houston-area woman was recently arrested and is facing charges “for providing illegal abortions,” the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a Monday news release.
“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, according to the release.
“Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable,” he added.
These are the first criminal charges under the state’s 2022 abortion law, The Texas Tribune reported. CNN has reached out to Paxton’s office for comment.
Maria Margarita Rojas, 48, has been charged with the illegal performance of an abortion, a second-degree felony, and practicing medicine without a license, violating the Texas Human Life Protection Act, the release from Paxton’s office said.
She was booked into the Waller County Sheriff’s Office on March 6 and released the next day, according to jail records. It’s unclear whether she has an attorney. CNN has reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment.
Rojas operated numerous clinics throughout Texas that “unlawfully employed unlicensed individuals,” Paxton’s release said.
Holly Shearman, clinical director of Tomball Birth Center, where Rojas worked part-time, told The Tribune she was shocked by the arrest. She described Rojas as a skilled midwife who provided care to a predominantly Spanish-speaking, low-income area.
“I don’t believe it for one second,” she said of the allegations. “I’ve known her for eight years and I’ve never heard her talk about anything like that.”
In a Facebook post mentioning Rojas, the district attorney of Waller County said Jose Cendan Ley was also arrested and is facing charges of practicing medicine without a license and performance of an abortion. It’s unclear whether he has an attorney.
In 2022, Texas adopted a near-total abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest. The law does allow exceptions if a pregnant person is “at risk of death or serious physical impairment of a major bodily function unless an abortion is performed.”
Doctors who violate the law risk penalties of as much as $100,000, the loss of their medical licenses and prison time.
In 2020, the last full year before Texas put in place its most severe restrictions on access to abortion, 53,949 abortions were performed in the state, according to the health department. Of those, less than 1% were performed in a hospital. The data shows the number of abortions declining in the following years.
In September 2021, the state law banning abortion after six weeks went into effect. At the time, it was one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation, outlawing the procedure at a stage when many do not yet know they are pregnant.
In 2022, the data shows 17,212 abortions, most of which were performed before Roe v. Wade was overturned on June 24 of that year, triggering a ban on abortion in the state except when intended to protect the life of the mother. Less than 1% of those were performed in a hospital.
In addition to criminalizing abortions, Texas also allows private citizens to file a civil lawsuit against anyone who knowingly “aids or abets” an abortion.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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