Texas Midwife Arrested for Abortion Care

[Erin Lee, BSN, RN]

Quote

Under Texas law, the illegal performance of an abortion is considered a second-degree felony. If convicted, Rojas could face decades in prison.

- The Gaurdian

Maria Margarita Rojas, a Texas midwife, was arrested and charged with allegedly performing illegal abortions, defying the state's near-total abortion ban. Her arrest is the first criminal charge under Texas's strict abortion laws since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

As the battle over abortion rights intensifies, the question remains: Should those providing life-saving procedures be punished, or are they standing up for women's health in the face of a broken system?

Rojas's arrest is more than just a legal issue—it raises a complex debate about the intersection of healthcare, law, and morality in a state where abortion access has become almost nonexistent.

At this point, can we even draw the line between law and ethics? It seems the decision is no longer in our hands. What does this mean for midwives, doctors, and women in need of care? As healthcare professionals can we deny that abortion care is still healthcare?

[nightwingcreations, CNA, LPN]

While I realize there is way more to this because of Texas abortion laws. There is also the fact that she did things that are not within the scope of practice for her in Texas. She had a "doctor" who is not legally a doctor in the United States working with her. So...even if abortions weren't pretty much illegal in Texas, she was still breaking laws.

[nightwingcreations, CNA, LPN]

Also because I forgot to say this....I think they probably purposely picked her for the first case to prosecute for the very reasons that she was doing other illegal things. Makes her an easier target to prosecute.

[toomuchbaloney]

Back when I was in high school abortions were illegal almost everywhere.  One of my wife's friends could afford to go to New York where it was legal.  Another went to a more local place that was not legal.  It was not practicing physicians doing the procedures most of the time.  We didn't really have NPs and PAs back in the day who might have been formally trained in some of the procedures.  

Texas has been trying to get legal access to the NY physician who is using telehealth to provide oral abortion meds. I think the court blocked that today.  

 

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Maria Margarita Rojas, is not a TX nurse and her midwife license is now suspended; the NY Times reported she was an OB/GYN physician in her native Peru.  I'd checked her 3 clinics websites last week (closed, websites offline today), offering services specially to Hispanic clients that appear beyond her midwife license.  

Quote

According to a press release from Attorney General Ken Paxton, 48-year-old midwife Maria Margarita Rojas and her 29-year-old employee, Jose Ley, provided abortions to at least three women in the last 18 months and "falsely presented themselves as licensed medical professionals.”

Ley was reportedly licensed to practice medicine in Cuba, but he entered the country illegally in 2022 and later received parole and a green card. He routinely consulted with a third person, 54-year-old nurse practitioner Rubildo Labanino Matos, whose license is currently on probation. Authorities arrested Matos and charged him with practicing medicine without a license.

Facebook clinic posts:

 

So there is more to this story, especially who was the licensed provider performing DOT certificate exams?   Maria was released today on bond, ankle monitoring and judge today confirmed clinics will remain closed.

The Cut:

The Chilling Arrest of a Midwife Under Texas's Abortion Ban

 

[toomuchbaloney]

Black market healthcare.  

 

[Mommavik, ADN]

I think this is where we'll end up with all the bans on abortion- back in the days before "Roe vs Wade"  it was illegal almost everywhere; as a result,  many young and older women had so called back alley abortions because there were no other options- they WERE GOING TO HAVE AN ABORTION REGARDLESS OF LAWS.  Many of them died as a result, either from infection, bleeding, or other complications resulting from the practice. Others were rendered sterile due to damage to the uterus.  I personally hate the idea of abortion, but I support a woman's right to choose that,  mainly due to the above facts. I want these women who are going to get an abortion regardless of the risks or laws in place to be able to do so in a safe and legal way, especially those who are pregnant at 11 to 14 years old, whose bodies are not yet developed enough to be able to safely carry a child to term, or those who are pregnant as a result of incest or rape.  There is enough mental and emotional damage without having to go through forcing them to go through with a pregnancy they absolutely hate the idea of. This is the girl or woman who will ram a coat hanger up to get rid of the fetus and end up dead as a result,  or commit suicide by other means because of the emotional damage this continued reminder of her pain is causing her. Give her a safe way to end that pregnancy if she chooses so that she is not forced to continue her suffering though 9 more months reminding her of what happened to her.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Mommavik said:

I think this is where we'll end up with all the bans on abortion- back in the days before "Roe vs Wade"  it was illegal almost everywhere; as a result,  many young and older women had so called back alley abortions because there were no other options- they WERE GOING TO HAVE AN ABORTION REGARDLESS OF LAWS.  Many of them died as a result, either from infection, bleeding, or other complications resulting from the practice. Others were rendered sterile due to damage to the uterus.  I personally hate the idea of abortion, but I support a woman's right to choose that,  mainly due to the above facts. I want these women who are going to get an abortion regardless of the risks or laws in place to be able to do so in a safe and legal way, especially those who are pregnant at 11 to 14 years old, whose bodies are not yet developed enough to be able to safely carry a child to term, or those who are pregnant as a result of incest or rape.  There is enough mental and emotional damage without having to go through forcing them to go through with a pregnancy they absolutely hate the idea of. This is the girl or woman who will ram a coat hanger up to get rid of the fetus and end up dead as a result,  or commit suicide by other means because of the emotional damage this continued reminder of her pain is causing her. Give her a safe way to end that pregnancy if she chooses so that she is not forced to continue her suffering though 9 more months reminding her of what happened to her.

48 years in nursing, agree with this sentiment 100%.  Along with offering counseling services afterward for those undergoing procedure.

ProPublica: Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared.

SO now Texas GOP Lawmakers Propose Amending Abortion Ban Linked to Deaths and a Rise in Sepsis Cases