HOUSTON – A Houston-area midwife accused operating multiple birthing clinics without proper licensing and performing illegal abortions is also being accused of misleading a patient into undergoing a medication abortion, newly released records show.
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Maria Margarita Rojas, 49, is the first healthcare provider facing criminal charges under Texas’ near total abortion ban.
RELATED: Investigators allege Houston-area midwife of administering drug Misoprostol to patient
According to court documents, the patient and her husband returned to the Clinica Waller Latinoamericana on Monday, March 3, to review lab results from a blood draw taken during her previous visit. The couple was reportedly attended by Cendan Ley, who mentioned during their conversation that he was from Cuba.
The patient later met with Rojas, who was posing as a licensed gynecologist, according to investigators. Rojas allegedly provided the lab results and informed the woman she was four weeks pregnant.
READ: 3rd employee arrested in Houston-area illegal abortion investigation
Court records state Rojas told her that based on the lab findings, she had only a 9% chance of a successful pregnancy, below the 10% threshold needed to safely continue. Rojas reportedly recommended a treatment to terminate the pregnancy, which the woman said she accepted, believing she was following sound medical advice.
She claimed Rojas gave her a pill orally, describing it as a low dosage, but did not specify the medication or potential side effects, aside from mentioning that she would experience bleeding.
According to court documents, the woman returned to Clinica Waller Latinoamericana on March 4, after experiencing only slight bleeding. Rojas allegedly gave her more Misoprostol and another pill to cause dilation. The woman later discovered she had undergone a medication abortion.
READ: Pro-life, pro-choice activists react to illegal abortion arrest
According to court records, she claimed that if she had known abortion was the treatment being offered, she and her husband would have chosen to continue the pregnancy. She reportedly said she was misled by Rojas’ warnings of complications and believed she was in the care of a licensed physician.
The woman also alleged that Rojas behaved unprofessionally, describing odd questions during her visits. She reportedly told investigators the ultrasound screen on March 1, was so dark she couldn’t understand how Rojas could interpret it.
The woman also told investigators that she and her husband had already envisioned having another child, even purchasing a larger vehicle in preparation.
According to court records, the woman paid for the three visits with her credit card, spending $600 on March 1, another $600 on March 3, and $120 on March 4.
