Full Breakdown
Texas Appeals Court Reverses Injunction Against Midwife Accused of Illegal Abortions
7/24/2026, 2:34:05 PM
Court Decision
The Fifteenth Court of Appeals in Austin reversed a temporary injunction that had shut down three Houston-area clinics operated by midwife Maria Margarita Rojas. The panel held that the state had not provided sufficient evidence to support the injunction and had improperly introduced probable-cause affidavits from Rojas’s separate criminal case. With the injunction lifted, the clinics in Spring, Cypress and Waller may reopen, but Rojas remains slated for trial on the underlying civil and criminal allegations.
Legal Context
Texas’s 2022 Human Life Protection Act bans abortions except in narrowly defined medical emergencies. In May 2023 a lower court issued the injunction that halted Rojas’s clinics. She was arrested in March 2025 and faces a second-degree felony for allegedly performing an abortion, plus accusations of practicing medicine without a license under the state’s Medical Practice Act. Her midwifery license has been suspended, she posted an “exorbitant bond,” spent ten days in jail, and is wearing an ankle monitor. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office says it will petition the Texas Supreme Court for review.
Key Figures & Clinics
- Maria Margarita Rojas – licensed midwife, owner of Clinica Waller Latinoamericana (Waller), Clinica Latinoamericana Telge (Cypress), and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic (Spring).
- Ken Paxton – Texas Attorney General, leading the state’s criminal and civil actions.
- Jenna Hudson – senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, representing Rojas.
Official Statements & Responses
Hudson described the appellate ruling as a “critical step in righting” what she called “vile treatment” of Rojas and warned that the case has already “scared providers” and caused lasting damage to low-income communities that relied on the clinics.
Verbatim Quotes
- “She's a midwife who's dedicated her life to caring for Texas mothers and families,” — Jenna Hudson
- “She has completely lost her livelihood, including because of the criminal charges and because this injunction shut down her clinic," Hudson told ABC News.” — Jenna Hudson
- “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
