A Texas appeals court heard a case about whether Houston-area midwife Maria Rojas’s clinics should stay closed on February 19, 2026. The clinics were shut down after an investigation suggested she might have been performing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without a proper license. The Texas attorney general’s office said closing the clinics was necessary while the legal process continues.
Rojas, with help from the pro-abortion Center for Reproductive Rights, asked the court to reopen her clinics. Her lawyers argued three main points:
- The order closing the clinics isn’t clear because it doesn’t say exactly what she can or cannot do.
- They claimed the state doesn’t have the right to shut the clinics down without stronger proof.
- They said there isn’t enough evidence that she actually did anything illegal.
The state, however, defended the closure. Lawyers for the attorney general said the order clearly prohibits Rojas and her staff from doing things they are not legally allowed to do, like performing abortions or operating without a license. They also pointed out that, as a licensed midwife, Rojas is aware of the limits of her practice and that the order does not need to list every prohibited action to be enforceable.
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State attorneys also said Texas has the legal authority to stop illegal activity before it continues. They mentioned that witnesses and evidence, including abortion pills found at the clinics, support the decision to shut them down for now. The goal, they said, is to protect unborn babies while the case moves forward.
Texas Right to Life assisted by providing legal research through a Pro-Life attorney and showing which laws the clinics might have broken.
We also praise Attorney General Paxton and his office for enforcing Pro-Life laws, holding potential lawbreakers accountable, and protecting the unborn.
The appeals court will now decide whether the clinics stay closed while the case continues. Their decision could affect how Texas enforces abortion and medical licensing laws in the future.
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