TX Judge Shuts Down Network Of Abortion Clinics Deemed Illegal By AG

TEXAS — A Texas district court judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking Maria Margarita Rojas and her network of Houston-area clinics, which state officials say provided illegal abortions and practiced medicine without a license.

"This network of clinics illegally aborted unborn children and practiced medicine without a license, intentionally deceiving and endangering the communities they claimed to serve," said Attorney General Paxton in a statement Thursday.

"Today’s win means these fake clinics will remain closed and be prevented from harming anyone else while the case continues. Life is sacred and I will always do everything in my power to protect the most vulnerable and uphold Texas law."

Rojas, 48, known as "Dr. Maria," was taken into custody last week in Waller County and faces charges of illegally performing an abortion—a second-degree felony in Texas—as well as practicing medicine without a license.

The arrest is the first of an abortion provider under Texas' 2022 abortion ban, according to Austin Statesman reporter Bayliss Wagner.

Prosecutors say Rojas operated unauthorized clinics in Northwest Houston, offering abortion services in violation of state law. She also allegedly employed unlicensed individuals who falsely posed as medical professionals to provide treatment.

State law holds abortion providers, not patients, criminally responsible for unlawful procedures, Paxton noted.

Investigators say Rojas operated multiple clinics under different names, including Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring.

Paxton’s Healthcare Program Enforcement Division has filed for a temporary restraining order to shut down Rojas’s clinics to prevent further illegal activity. Under the Texas Human Life Protection Act of 2021, the Attorney General may also seek civil penalties of at least $100,000 per violation.

Waller County District Attorney Sean Whittmore referred the case to Paxton’s office for prosecution.