A midwife in Texas has been arrested for allegedly providing illegal abortions and operating a network of unlawful clinics in the Houston area.
Maria Margarita Rojas has been charged with providing an abortion and practising medicine without a licence, according to the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Authorities accused Ms Rojas, 48, of operating multiple clinics in Houston where she allegedly performed illegal abortions in her clinic, violating the state’s restrictive abortion laws.
Ms Rojas faces second-degree felony charges, which carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $10,000 (£7,700) if convicted.
Under the Texas Human Life Protection Act – a 2021 law that bans abortion in most cases – state authorities can also fine Ms Rojas at least $100,000 “per violation”.
In a news release on Monday announcing the arrest, Attorney General Paxton said that “Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable”.
“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,” Paxton said.
He added that Texas law holds abortion providers, not patients, “criminally responsible” for unlawful procedures.
In Texas, physicians are barred from performing an abortion once a foetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks into a pregnancy – before many realise they are pregnant. There are exceptions if the life or health of the pregnant patient is at risk, but not in cases of rape or incest.
The state’s supreme court unanimously rejected a challenge last year from 20 women who said they were denied medically necessary abortions under Texas law.
Paxton’s office said Ms Rojas, who they allege is known as “Dr Maria”, operated multiple clinics in north-west Houston.
She employed “unlicensed individuals” and performed “illegal abortion procedures”, according to the allegations.
Authorities said they have filed a temporary restraining order to shut down the clinics.
Holly Shearman, a midwife who runs a birth centre where Ms Rojas worked part-time, told the Texas Tribune that she was “shocked” by news of the arrest.
According to the Texas-based news website, Ms Shearman said Ms Rojas was a devout Catholic who provided prenatal care to a primarily Spanish-speaking, low-income community.
“I don’t believe it for one second,” she said of the allegations.
Ms Rojas’ arrest is believed to be one of the first criminal prosecutions under the Texas abortion ban. The state attorney general’s office said she was taken into custody in Waller County, and it is unclear if she has a lawyer yet.
Last year, Paxton’s office filed a lawsuit against a New York-based abortion provider for allegedly posting abortion pills to a Texan. That same doctor was indicted earlier this year in the state on a charge of criminal abortion.
New York has shield laws, which aim to protect providers who provide abortion to patients in other states. New York Gov Kathy Hochul has said the state has no plans to allow for Dr Margaret Daley Carpenter’s extradition to Texas.
She called the case “outrageous” and said Republicans were trying to stymie access to abortion across the US.