Editor’s Note: This write-up initially showed up March 17 and was upgraded March 18 in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/17/texas-abortion-midwife-arrested/. The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, detached newsroom educating and involving Texans on state national politics and plan.
2 individuals have actually been detained and billed with doing unlawful abortions at a Houston-area wellness center, the initial criminal fees brought under the state’s near-total abortion restriction.
Maria Margarita Rojas, 48, a licensed registered nurse midwife, and Jose Ley, 29 and her worker, were billed with the unlawful efficiency of an abortion, in addition to exercising medication without a certificate. The abortion fee is a second-degree felony, which includes as much as two decades behind bars.
Rojas, that determined herself as Dr. Maria, runs a network of centers in Waller, Cypress and Springtime, where she “illegally used unlicensed people that wrongly provided themselves as accredited physician,” according to a news release from Attorney general of the United States Ken Paxton.
Rojas, with Ley’s support, tried an abortion on an individual determined as E.G. on 2 different events in March, according to court documents. In meetings with private investigators, E.G. stated Rojas’ workers represented her as a physician, so when Rojas informed E.G. that her maternity was most likely non-viable, she consented to take the abortion tablets Rojas used.
The lady informed private investigators that she would certainly have proceeded the maternity, however “because the gynecologist notified her of clinical problems that would certainly occur ought to she proceed with the maternity, she depended on that clinical recommendations.”
In its bond movement, the state claims Rojas likewise executed an abortion in Harris Region previously this year. Contact us to Rojas’ centers were not quickly responded to Monday.
Court documents reveal Rojas was initial detained on March 6, billed with exercising medication without a certificate and offered a $10,000 bond. She was once more detained Monday early morning, along with Ley, and billed with exercising medication without a certificate and doing unlawful abortions. A 3rd individual, Rubildo Labanino Matos, was detained March 8 and billed with conspiracy theory to exercise medication without a certificate, Paxton stated Tuesday.
The examination right into Rojas’ methods covered greater than a month and included greater than a lots individuals with the Workplace of the Attorney General Of The United States, the apprehension sworn statement reveals.
It began with a problem submitted to the state Health and wellness and Person Solutions Payment, affirming 2 females had actually obtained abortions at the Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller. K.P., 26, had an abortion at 3 months expectant in September 2023, and D.V. had an abortion at 8 weeks expectant in January, the sworn statement stated. It does not define that submitted the issue with the wellness company.
Detectives with chief law officer’s workplace and the Harris Region Constable’s Workplace started surveilling Rojas’ centers in late January and very early February. They observed a guy later on determined as Ley functioning alone in among the centers as individuals can be found in and out, evidently looking for healthcare.
Ley is not accredited to exercise medication in Texas. He was a qualified physician in Cuba, however involved the USA unlawfully in 2022 and later on was paroled and obtained a permit, according to the sworn statement. Ley later on informed private investigators that he was gotten in touch with Rojas after educating with the worldwide wellness not-for-profit Physicians without Boundaries.
Ley informed private investigators that he saw individuals as a clinical aide and would certainly speak with by means of tablet computer with a person he thought to be Labanino Matos, prior to authorizing types with Labanino Matos’ name.
Labanino Matos, a qualified registered nurse expert, was under a concurred order from the Texas Board of Nursing for irresponsible therapy of a person at one more center. Texas regulation needs registered nurse specialists to have a technique contract with a qualified doctor, which the sworn statement claims Labanino Matos did not have in area for these centers.
In late February, the lady determined as D.V. verified that she got an abortion and determined Rojas as the individual that executed the treatment, per the sworn statement.
On March 3, a private investigator was observing among the centers when an automobile brought up and a young pair went within. Just Ley went to the center, the detective stated, however after a time, Rojas got here too. When the pair left, it was clear the lady had actually gone through some kind of clinical treatment, the detective stated.
On March 5, the chief law officer’s workplace protected apprehension warrants and search warrants for Rojas, Labanino Matos and Ley on fees of exercising medication without a certificate. The search warrants located misoprostol, an usual abortion-inducing medication that can likewise be utilized for various other clinical functions, in addition to ultrasound equipments, forceps and various other clinical materials.
Ley talked to private investigators, however Rojas decreased.
While those apprehensions were unraveling, private investigators found and spoke with the lady that had actually gone to the center on March 3. Recognized as E.G. in the documents, she stated she had actually supplied doubles by cesarean area 6 months prior and mosted likely to the center on the recommendations of her physician in Mexico.
She stated workers described Rojas as a gynecologist. Rojas informed E.G. she was 4 weeks expectant, however there was just an 18 percent possibility of the maternity achieving success. Laboratory outcomes revealed there was just a 9 percent possibility of an effective maternity, E.G. stated, which Rojas informed her wanted to proceed with the maternity.
Rojas offered her a tablet by mouth, and Ley provided an IV and an iron shot. The following day, when she had not had actually the anticipated blood loss, she went back to the center and was offered an added dosage of the medicine by mouth and vaginally. She later on found out the medicine was misoprostol.
E.G. paid $1,320 overall for the appointments. She informed private investigators she was “surprised” to discover Rojas was not a gynecologist.
Based upon this info, the chief law officer’s workplace billed Rojas and Ley with doing an unlawful abortion.
The state advised Rojas and Ley each be hung on a million buck bond. On Monday, a Waller Region court got their bonds evaluated $500,000 for the abortion-related fees and $200,000 for the clinical certificate fees.
Holly Shearman, a midwife that runs Tomball Birth Facility, where Rojas functioned part-time giving prenatal treatment, stated she was “surprised” by the information of her apprehension. She defined Rojas as a sincere Catholic and proficient midwife whose centers supplied healthcare to a mainly Spanish-speaking, low-income neighborhood.
” I do not think it for one 2nd,” she stated regarding the claims. “I have actually understood her for 8 years and I have actually never ever heard her discuss anything like that. I simply can not visualize Maria being associated with something similar to this.”
