Two more arrested in Texas illegal abortion case

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced two more arrests in addition to the midwife who was arrested last month for committing illegal abortions in the state.

Jose Manuel Cendan Ley, 29, and Rubildo Labanino Matos, 54, are both charged with assisting midwife Maria Margarita Rojas (a.k.a. “Dr. Maria”), 48, who was arrested and had her license suspended after she was charged with committing illegal abortions and illegally operating a network of abortion businesses in the Northwest Houston area. She was arrested as a result of a months-long investigation led by Paxton’s office.

According to Paxton, Ley worked as a medical assistant at Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Texas, performing illegal medical procedures and assisting in at least one illegal abortion. Matos, a nurse practitioner whose license is currently on probation with the Board of Nursing, was charged with conspiracy to practice medicine without a license.

READ: A decade ago, she founded a Texas abortion fund. Today, she believes life ‘begins at conception.’

Following Rojas’ March arrest, Waller County Judge Gary W. Chaney issued a temporary restraining order closing the Houston-area facilities where Rojas was committing illegal abortions. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation also suspended her medical license. As of March 30, bond for both Rojas and Ley was set at $500,000 for each count of committing an illegal abortion and $200,000 for each count of practicing medicine without a license.

According to a report from KHOU-TV, a woman interviewed by investigators told them she had visited Rojas’ facility in Waller and that Rojas had presented to her as a gynecologist, informing the woman that “she was four weeks pregnant and with a less than 10% chance of a successful pregnancy.” KHOU stated that “the woman then said she went ahead with a medication abortion Rojas recommended.”

Texas law protects nearly all preborn children from abortion, and committing an illegal abortion is a felony offense. According to WHEC, anyone convicted of performing an illegal abortion can face up to 20 years in prison, while practicing medicine without a license carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

Paxton said in a statement, “Individuals killing unborn babies by performing illegal abortions in Texas will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and I will not rest until justice is served. I will continue to fight to protect life and work to ensure that anyone guilty of violating our state’s pro-life laws is held accountable.”

Paxton reports that the investigation into the illegal abortions remains ongoing.