Eight individuals associated with Houston-area midwife Maria Margarita Rojas have been arrested and indicted for practicing medicine without a license in Texas. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday that the arrests are part of an investigation into Rojas, who faces 15 felony charges, including three for performing abortions and 12 for practicing medicine without a license. The arrests are the latest developments in a broader crackdown on abortion providers following the enactment of Texas’ Human Life Protection Act, which made abortions illegal after approximately six weeks of pregnancy.
Paxton described the eight defendants as ‘a cabal of abortion-loving radicals’ who ‘endangered the very people they pretended to help.’ The charges against them are linked to their work under Rojas at her clinics in Waller, Cypress, Spring, and Katy. Those charged include Yaimara Hernandez Alvarez, Alina Valeron Leon, Dalia Coromoto Yanez, Yhonder Lebrun Acosta, Liunet Grandales Estrada, Gerardo Otero Aguero, Sabiel Bosch Gongora, and Jose Manuel Cendan Ley. The case has drawn widespread attention given its implications for reproductive rights and healthcare access in Texas.
In addition to the arrests, Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate, has emphasized his stance on enforcing the state’s strict pro-life laws. His comments underscore a broader conservative agenda on reproductive rights, which has intensified in recent years due to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. The Center for Reproductive Rights has denounced the case as a ‘sham,’ arguing that Paxton is targeting Rojas, a licensed midwife who provided care to pregnant women, as part of a political effort to suppress access to reproductive healthcare for underserved communities. ‘It’s no coincidence that he is targeting Rojas and these clinics amid the widespread anti-immigrant sentiment nationwide,’ said Jenna Hudson, Senior Counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights. ‘Texas health care workers deserve respect, not to be treated like criminals.’
The case also overlaps with other legal battles over abortion rights, including an ongoing case in Louisiana where a California doctor is facing an arrest warrant for allegedly providing abortion pills. These developments reflect the growing legal and political tensions surrounding reproductive rights in the United States. As the investigation into Rojas and her associates continues, the implications for medical practice, legal accountability, and reproductive healthcare access remain a focal point of national debate.