Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a temporary restraining order (TRO) against a network of Houston-area abortion clinics operated by Maria Margarita Rojas, who was arrested for allegedly performing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without a license.
The order effectively shuts down the clinics and bars them from providing medical services.
The TRO was signed by Judge Gary W. Chaney of the 506th District Court of Texas. It prohibits Rojas, her employees, and anyone acting on their behalf from performing abortions or offering medical services.
According to court documents, the order will remain in effect for 14 days or until further court action. Texas is not required to pay filing fees or bonds for the injunction.
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“This is a critical win in our fight to uphold Texas law, protect the unborn, and protect all Texans from dangerous clinics practicing medicine without a license. Rojas and her network of illegal clinics operated with blatant disregard for the law, putting people’s lives at risk,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I will continue to pursue justice against those who seek to endanger Texans and violate the sanctity of life in Texas.”
On March 17, Paxton announced Rojas’ arrest for providing illegal abortions and unlawfully operating her clinics, which employed unlicensed individuals posing as medical professionals.
On Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the arrest of Rubildo Labanino Matos, 54, on March 8 upon returning to the U.S. from Cuba. Matos, a nurse practitioner whose license is currently on probation by the Board of Nursing, faces charges of conspiracy to practice medicine without a license.
The Healthcare Program Enforcement Division immediately sought a temporary restraining order to halt the clinics’ operations. Two additional employees were arrested for conspiring with Rojas in running the illegal network.
A Texas district court judge granted the restraining order, effectively closing Rojas’s clinics, including Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring.
The order prohibits these clinics from providing any medical services or abortions.
