德克萨斯州司法部长肯·帕克斯顿称，一名48岁的妇女因涉嫌在休斯顿地区非法提供堕胎服务而被捕宣布的星期一。
帕克斯顿在一份新闻稿中说，玛丽亚·玛格丽塔·罗哈斯涉嫌提供“非法堕胎”，并在休斯顿西北部“非法”经营一个诊所网络。
根据帕克斯顿的说法，罗哈斯被指控非法堕胎和无证行医，前者是二级重罪。
A德州的二级重罪如果罪名成立，将被判处2至20年监禁和高达1万美元的罚款。
然而，根据2021年德克萨斯州人类生命保护法，帕克斯顿的办公室表示，他有权寻求“每次违反”至少10万美元的罚款。
“在德克萨斯州，生命是神圣的，”帕克斯顿在一份声明中说。“我将永远尽我所能保护未出生的胎儿，捍卫我们州的反堕胎法，并努力确保通过实施非法堕胎危及妇女生命的无照个人受到全面起诉。”
根据帕克斯顿的说法，罗哈斯是一名助产士，被称为“玛丽亚医生”。据称，她拥有并经营多家诊所，包括位于沃勒的Clinica Waller Latinoamericana、位于赛普拉斯的Clinica Latinoamericana Telge和位于斯普林的Latinoamericana Medical Clinic所有这些诊所都位于休斯顿西北部地区。
司法部长办公室表示，罗哈斯被指控在她的诊所进行“非法堕胎手术”，涉嫌违反德克萨斯州人类生命保护法。此外，在保健计划执行处据帕克斯顿办公室称，隶属于司法部长办公室的该公司申请了临时限制令，以关闭罗哈斯的诊所。
帕克斯顿的办公室澄清说，堕胎提供者，而不是病人，对堕胎程序负有刑事责任，这在该州被认为是非法的。
堕胎在德克萨斯州是被禁止的除...之外如果妇女有危及生命的情况或处于“主要身体功能严重受损”的危险中
患者需要进行两次旅行，一次是当面咨询，另一次是24小时后堕胎古特马赫研究所这是一个专注于性健康和生殖健康的研究小组。
帕克斯顿的办公室没有立即回复ABC新闻的置评请求。
目前还不清楚罗哈斯是否有律师代表她发言
Woman arrested for allegedly providing illegal abortions in Houston area, Texas AG says
A 48-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly illegally providing abortions in the Houston area, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtonannouncedon Monday.
Maria Margarita Rojas allegedly provided "illegal abortions" and "illegally" operated a network of clinics in northwestern Houston, Paxton said in a press release.
Rojas has been charged with the illegal performance of an abortion and practicing medicine without a license, the former of which is a second-degree felony, according to Paxton.
Asecond-degree felony in Texasis punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, if convicted.
However, under the Texas Human Life Protection Act of 2021, Paxton's office stated he has the authority to seek a fine of at least $100,000 "per violation."
"In Texas, life is sacred," Paxton said in a statement. "I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state's pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted."
According to Paxton, Rojas is a midwife known as "Dr. Maria." She allegedly owned and operated multiple clinics including Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring -- all in the northwest Houston area.
Rojas is accused of performing "illegal abortion procedures" in her clinics, which allegedly violated the Texas Human Life Protection Act, the attorney general's office said. Additionally, theHealthcare Program Enforcement Division, which falls under the attorney general's office, filed for a temporary restraining order to shut down Rojas' clinics, according to Paxton's office.
Paxton's office clarified that abortion providers -- not patients -- are criminally responsible for abortion procedures, which are considered illegal in the state.
Abortions are banned in Texasexceptif the woman has a life-threatening condition or is at risk of "substantial impairment of a major bodily function."
Patients are required to make two trips, one for an in-person counseling session and then 24 hours later for the abortion, according to theGuttmacher Institute, a research group that focuses on sexual and reproductive health.
Paxton's office did not immediately reply to ABC News' request for comment.
It wasn't immediately clear if Rojas had an attorney who could speak on her behalf
