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Houston-area midwife wins court ruling in Texas abortion ban case
Houston Chronicle • • general
Key Points:
- A Texas appeals court overturned an injunction against Houston-area midwife Maria Rojas, ruling that the state failed to present direct evidence she violated the state's abortion ban, relying instead on probable-cause affidavits based on an anonymous email.
- The Texas 15th Court of Appeals found that the lower court abused its discretion in temporarily shutting down Rojas' clinics, but the criminal case against her and eight others will continue.
- Rojas, the first person to be tried under Texas' 2022 abortion ban, also faces charges of practicing medicine without a license; her clinics have remained closed for over a year despite the ruling.
- Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has used the case to bolster his U.S. Senate campaign, plans to seek a review of the ruling by the Texas Supreme Court.
- The Center for Reproductive Rights, representing Rojas, called the decision a significant step toward justice and argued that the state has no case, emphasizing Rojas' role as a licensed midwife providing lawful care.
