Texas midwife accused by state's attorney general of providing illegal abortions

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas midwife has been arrested and accused of providing amerciable abortions, marking the archetypal clip authorities person filed transgression charges nether the state’s near-total termination ban, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced connected Monday.

Maria Margarita Rojas has been charged with the amerciable show of an abortion, a second-degree felony, arsenic good arsenic practicing medicine without a license, which is simply a third-degree felony.

Paxton alleges that Rojas, 48, illegally operated astatine slightest 3 clinics successful the Houston country wherever amerciable termination procedures were performed successful nonstop usurpation of authorities law.

“In Texas, beingness is sacred. I volition ever bash everything successful my powerfulness to support the unborn, support our state’s pro-life laws, and enactment to guarantee that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing amerciable abortions are afloat prosecuted,” Paxton said successful a statement. “Texas instrumentality protecting beingness is clear, and we volition clasp those who interruption it accountable.”

Waller County District Attorney Sean Whittmore, whose bureau is located northwest of Houston, referred the lawsuit to Paxton for prosecution, according to the authorities Attorney General’s Office.

Waller County tribunal records amusement Rojas was arrested connected March 6 and she was released connected enslaved the adjacent day.

Court records did not database an lawyer for Rojas who could talk connected her behalf.

A pistillate reached by telephone astatine 1 of Rojas’ clinics said Monday she did not cognize who Rojas was. Messages near astatine Rojas’ 2 different clinics were not instantly returned. On their Facebook pages, the clinics advertise assorted services, including carnal exams, ultrasounds and vaccines.

Texas is 1 of 12 states presently enforcing a prohibition connected termination astatine each stages of pregnancy. Texas' prohibition allows exceptions erstwhile a large diligent has a life-threatening condition. Opponents of the prohibition accidental it is excessively vague erstwhile it comes to erstwhile medically indispensable exceptions are allowed. A measure has been filed successful the existent Texas legislative league to clarify aesculapian exceptions allowed nether the law.

The complaint of amerciable show of an termination carries a punishment of up to 20 years successful situation portion the complaint of practicing medicine without a licence carries a punishment of up to 10 years successful prison.

Paxton’s bureau said it has filed a impermanent restraining bid to adjacent Rojas’ clinics.

In the U.S., determination person been few, if any, transgression charges filed alleging the cognition of amerciable termination clinics since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade successful 2022 and opened the doorway to authorities termination bans.

A Louisiana expansive assemblage earlier this twelvemonth indicted a New York doc connected charges that she illegally prescribed termination pills online to a Louisiana patient. Paxton has filed a civilian suit against the aforesaid doc nether a akin accusation.

___

Associated Press newsman Geoff Mulvihill successful Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70