This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Booked into jail, then released on bond

An abortionist in Houston has been arrested and accused of providing abortions, and illegally running a network of clinics, without a medical license.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton explained the case is one of the first of its kind in the nation since the Supreme Court threw out the faulty Roe v. Wade precedent in 2022 and states were allowed for the first time in decades to charge offenders.

The suspect is accused of a second-degree felony for operating a ring of illegal and unlicensed abortion facilities with workers falsely posing as medical professionals.
In a statement, Paxton said, "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. Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable."

It's not his first action against those who violate Texas abortion laws. He also has filed an action against a New York abortionist for illegally mailing abortion drugs to a Texas resident and practicing without a license. A judge has ordered that abortionist to stop sending those chemicals into Texas, and to pay $100,000 in costs.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, said, "The pro-life state of Texas is serious about safeguarding mothers and their babies. Texas law, like every other pro-life law in the country, protects pregnant women's ability to receive life-saving care in a medical emergency. There is no excuse for illegal abortions that take the life of the baby and put women's lives at risk, committed by people who don't even have a medical license."

She continued, "Abortion activists' reckless, criminal disregard for women's lives and unborn life is on full display. We thank Attorney General Paxton for his strong leadership to put a stop to this brutality, including taking on sellers of dangerous abortion drugs across state lines, and hope others will follow his example. Women facing difficult or unexpected pregnancies deserve real care and assistance, not the cruel exploitation of the abortion industry."

Ingrid Skop, of the Charlotte Lozier Institute, said, "As a board-certified ob-gyn practicing in Texas for over 30 years, I have cared for many women who have suffered at the hands of abortionists. We cannot discount the significant risks of harm these women face, including hemorrhage, sepsis, uterine damage, mental health complications and sometimes maternal death. As physicians, our patients must trust we will live out our Hippocratic Oath to do no harm."

A report from the Washington Examiner noted the defendant is Maria Margarita Rojas, 48, and she is accused of owning and running three clinics in the Houston area, then using unlicensed individuals who present themselves as medical professionals.

The operations, Paxton charged, are a direct violation of the Texas Human Life Protection Act.

The report said both performing abortions and practicing medicine without a license are felonies in Texas. It said abortion at any stage in pregnancy is illegal except to save the mother's life or to prevent serious risk to her physical health.

The report said while Rojas' biography on the website for the Houston Birth House said she is certified as a midwife, court filings charge she's been representing herself as an obstetrician.

Court documents reveal Rojas was booked into jail on a charge of practicing medicine without a license, then was released on $10,000 bond. Other charges were added later.