Houston midwife has injunction reversed, no proof she violated abortion ban, court rules

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Texas appeals court reversed an injunction against Maria Rojas, a midwife accused of providing abortions in the Houston area, according to court documents.

Now, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is saying his office will appeal the decision, hoping to take the case to the Texas Supreme Court.

The Fifteenth Court of Appeals reversed a temporary injunction order that had previously shut down Rojas' clinics in Spring, Cypress and Waller, where her lawyers say she provided maternal health care as a midwife.

While the clinics are allowed to reopen, the case is not over, as Rojas is expected to be in trial court.

READ MORE: Houston-area midwife asks appeals court to allow her to reopen clinics amid abortion case

According to court records, the state did not provide evidence that Rojas committed any wrongdoing that would warrant the ruling against her and her clinics.

Rojas' attorneys said in a statement she was forced to give up the leases to the clinics, leaving low-income and uninsured communities without health care, and Rojas without a job, as her midwifery license was suspended.

Rojas is the first person to face criminal abortion charges since the state's total ban went into effect in 2022, according to her attorneys. Texas law specifies that those who give abortions, except in very few cases, will face up to life in prison and a $100,000 fine if convicted.

Rojas' attorney says it's unlikely she will reopen the clinics, but today's decision is one providers are watching closely.

"The damage has already been done, and the impact that this case has had in scaring providers is there and is real and is a serious problem," Jenna Hudson, Senior Counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said.

Court documents show a patient told investigators she was led to believe Rojas was a gynecologist and claimed she gave her a drug to end her pregnancy. A source, according to those court documents, reported Rojas was charging between $800 and $1,300 for abortions.

While the injunction was overturned, Rojas is still accused of performing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without a license.

ORIGINAL REPORT: Houston midwife indicted on 15 new felony charges in Waller County, court records show