A Houston-area midwife has been arrested for allegedly providing illegal abortions, the first such arrest under Texas’ near-total abortion ban. 

Maria Margarita Rojas, 48, who identified herself as “Dr. Maria” is charged with the illegal performance of an abortion, a second-degree felony, as well as practicing medicine without a license, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced. 

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“In Texas, life is sacred,” Paxton said in a statement. “I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are fully prosecuted.”

“Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable,” he added. 

Rojas allegedly operated a network of clinics in the Houston suburbs of Waller, Cypress and Spring. The clinics “unlawfully employed unlicensed individuals who falsely presented themselves as licensed medical professionals,” Paxton’s office said. 

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Rojas herself is accused of performing illegal abortions in the clinics, in violation of the Under the Texas Human Life Protection Act of 2021. 

Abortions are banned in Texas, except in certain circumstances to save the life of a pregnant woman. Texas holds abortion providers, not patients, criminally responsible for illegal procedures, Paxton’s office said.

John Seago, president of Texas Right to Life, a pro-life group that opposes abortion, praised the arrest. 

“Abortionists haven’t given up their fight for Texas; they’ve gone online and underground,” Seago said. “God made every child in His image. That’s why preborn babies killed in illegal abortions deserve justice.” 

Waller County District Attorney Sean Whittmore referred the case to Paxton’s office. 

“In Waller County, we respect all life,” Whittmore told Fox News Digital. “We expect people to follow the law in the state of Texas.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the clinics where the alleged abortions were performed.

In addition to the arrest, the Healthcare Program Enforcement Division of the Attorney General’s Office filed for a temporary restraining order to shut down the clinics.