Maria Rojas saw a court injunction reversed but faces a difficult professional future after being accused of performing illegal abortions in Texas.
The 15th Court of Appeals reversed a temporary injunction against Maria Rojas, a midwife accused of performing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without a license in the Houston area. The court determined that the state failed to provide sufficient evidence to support the initial ruling, which had shut down Rojas' clinics in Waller, Cypress, and Spring. While the reversal allows the clinics to technically reopen, legal counsel Jenna Hudson noted that the "damage is done." Because Rojas is currently on house arrest and restricted by bond conditions from approaching her clinic locations, she is unlikely to resume her career as a midwife. The case has drawn national attention as Rojas is the first person sued under the Texas Human Life Protection Act, which bans abortions after six weeks. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton plans to appeal the decision to the Texas Supreme Court. The administration of the state's legal office maintains that the bond conditions successfully protect women from what it describes as an illegal abortion scheme.