Eight more people connected to Texas midwife Maria Rojas have been arrested as the state intensifies its investigation into alleged illegal abortions. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the arrests, accusing the group of operating without medical licenses under Rojas’s supervision. As reported by The Guardian, the case represents one of the most prominent tests of Texas’s near-total abortion ban, highlighting the growing legal and political battles over reproductive rights in the state.

New Arrests Under Expanding Crackdown

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton revealed on Wednesday that eight individuals tied to midwife Maria Rojas were arrested for allegedly practicing medicine without a license. Rojas, who ran three clinics in the Houston area, had already been charged earlier this year with three counts of performing an abortion and 12 counts of practicing medicine without a license.
Paxton, a Republican currently running for the U.S. Senate, called the individuals “a cabal of abortion-loving radicals” and “fake doctors.” He stated, “Those responsible will be held accountable. I will always protect innocent life and use every tool to enforce Texas’s pro-life laws.”

Rojas at the Center of Legal Storm

Maria Rojas became the first person charged under Texas’s abortion laws, which outlaw virtually all abortions in the state. Her case has drawn national attention as a potential precedent for how aggressively Texas will pursue abortion-related prosecutions.
The Center for Reproductive Rights, which represents Rojas, has not commented publicly on the latest arrests. However, in court filings, her attorneys argued that the state has failed to prove Rojas performed abortions or acted outside her midwifery license, describing the investigation as rushed and poorly conducted.

Debate Over Misoprostol Evidence

Prosecutors have relied heavily on the discovery of the drug misoprostol in Rojas’s possession to argue she performed illegal abortions. Misoprostol can be used to end pregnancies, but it also serves legitimate medical purposes, including preparing the cervix for labor.
Rojas’s lawyers argued, “A licensed midwife’s possession of misoprostol is evidence of a midwifery practice, not abortion. If possessing misoprostol were evidence of abortion, then every hospital’s labor-and-delivery ward would be accused of providing abortions.”

National Crackdown on Abortion Providers

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade three years ago, several states have launched aggressive crackdowns on abortion access. In Louisiana, authorities have issued warrants for doctors in New York and California accused of mailing abortion pills across state lines. In multiple cases, private citizens have also sued abortion providers, including men whose partners underwent abortions.
Texas has become a central battleground in this broader effort, with Paxton positioning himself as a leading figure in enforcing anti-abortion measures nationwide.

Paxton’s Broader Legal Offensive

Ken Paxton has actively targeted out-of-state doctors and officials he believes are violating Texas law. Late last year, he sued a New York doctor accused of providing abortion pills to a Texas woman and later sued a New York county clerk who refused to enforce a fine against that doctor. The dispute has evolved into a major legal fight over whether New York’s protections for abortion providers can shield them from Texas prosecutions.

Allegations Against Rojas’s Staff

Court documents filed in June detail that two of the newly arrested individuals allegedly worked as unlicensed “medical assistants” at Rojas’s clinics. Prosecutors cited testimony from a witness who said that one of them, Jose Manuel Cendan Ley, gave her a vitamin infusion and iron injection after “triaging patients.” Another, Sabiel Bosch Gongora, reportedly used mobile applications designed for clinical decision support and drug interaction checks.
Rojas’s attorneys countered in a September filing that prosecutors failed to prove either assistant was independently diagnosing or treating patients. They argued both may have been performing duties delegated by licensed clinicians, within the scope of standard medical practice.

Long Road Ahead in Court

Paxton’s press release provided no new evidence to substantiate claims that the other individuals lacked proper licensure. The case continues to unfold slowly, with complex legal questions about jurisdiction, evidence, and enforcement. In March, shortly after Rojas’s arrest, a judge warned that the case could take years to resolve as both sides prepare for a lengthy court battle.