A woman arrested for having allegedly provided illegal abortions in the Houston region, Texas Ag
A 48 -year -old woman was arrested for allegedly provided abortions in the Houston region, Texas Ken Paxton Attorney General announcement Monday.
Maria Margarita Rojas would have provided “illegal abortions” and “illegally” would use a network of clinics in the northwest of Houston, Paxton said in a press release.
Rojas was charged with the illegal performance of an abortion and the practice of license -free medicine, the first of which is a second degree crime, according to Paxton.
A Crime in the second degree in Texas is liable to two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $ 10,000, if it is found guilty.
However, under Texas Human Life Protection Act of 2021, the Paxton office said that it had the power to request a fine of at least $ 100,000 by violation “.
The Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, speaks during the annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), on February 23, 2024, at National Harbor, MD.
Mandel and / AFP
“In Texas, life is sacred,” Paxton said in a statement. “I will always do everything in my power to protect children to be born, defend the pro-life laws of our state and work to ensure that individuals without license endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted.”
According to Paxton, Rojas is a midwife known as “Dr. Maria”. She would have owned and operated several clinics, including Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in the spring – all in the northwest region of Houston.
Rojas is accused of having carried out “illegal abortion procedures” in its clinics, which would have violated Texas Human Life Protection Act, said the prosecutor’s office. In addition, the Health Care Application DivisionWho is the responsibility of the Prosecutor General’s office, asked for a temporary prohibition prescription to close the Rojas clinics, according to the Paxton office.
Paxton’s office said that abortion providers – not patients – are criminally responsible for abortion procedures, who are considered illegal in the state.
The abortions are prohibited in Texas except If the woman has a deadly condition or is at risk of “substantial disability of a major bodily function”.
Patients must make two trips, one for one advice session in person, then 24 hours later for abortion, according to the GuttmacherA research group that focuses on sexual and reproductive health.
Paxton’s office did not immediately respond to ABC News’ comments.
He was not immediately clear if Rojas had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf
