Texas Files Criminal Charges Against Midwife Who Allegedly Offered Abortion Care
Houston-area midwife Maria Margarita Rojas is the first person to be criminally charged under the state’s abortion ban.
By Julia Conley , CommonDreams
PublishedMarch 18, 2025
A midwife in the Houston area on Monday became the first person to be criminally charged under Texas’ abortion ban, with Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton accusing Maria Margarita Rojas of providing illegal abortion care and practicing medicine without a license.
If convicted, Rojas faces up to 20 years in prison under the state’s near-total ban on abortion.
Writer and abortion rights advocate Jessica Valenti said Rojas is likely being “targeted” by Paxton, noting that the midwife provides “healthcare to a primarily Spanish-speaking, low-income community.”
“Paxton, a political operator who picks cases strategically, likely chose Rojas because he believes Americans won’t find her sympathetic — whether due to racism, classism, or the stories his office plans to spin,” wrote Valenti. “In other words: Republicans are strategically targeting people they think the public won’t rally behind. Let’s make sure to prove them wrong.”
https://truthout.org/articles/texas-files-criminal-charges-against-midwife-who-allegedly-offered-abortion-care/