Web Desk
TEXAS – A Texas district court judge has issued a temporary injunction shutting down Maria Margarita Rojas and her Houston-area clinics, which state officials say conducted illegal abortions and operated without proper medical licenses.
Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the court’s decision, stating, “This network of clinics illegally aborted unborn children and practiced medicine without a license, intentionally deceiving and endangering the communities they claimed to serve.”
He emphasized that this ruling ensures the clinics remain closed while legal proceedings continue. “Life is sacred, and I will always do everything in my power to protect the most vulnerable and uphold Texas law,” Paxton added.
Rojas, 48, who went by “Dr. Maria,” was arrested last week in Waller County. She faces charges of illegally performing an abortion, a second-degree felony in Texas, and practicing medicine without a license.
Her arrest marks the first prosecution of an abortion provider under Texas’ 2022 abortion ban, according to journalist Bayliss Wagner.
Prosecutors allege Rojas ran unauthorized clinics in Northwest Houston, offering illegal abortion services.
She also reportedly hired unlicensed workers who posed as medical professionals. Under Texas law, abortion providers—not patients—are criminally liable for unlawful procedures.
Investigators identified multiple clinics linked to Rojas, including:
Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller
Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress
Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring
Paxton’s Healthcare Program Enforcement Division has requested a temporary restraining order to prevent Rojas’s clinics from reopening.
Under the Texas Human Life Protection Act of 2021, the Attorney General may also pursue civil penalties of at least $100,000 per violation.
Waller County District Attorney Sean Whittmore referred the case to Paxton’s office for prosecution.
