Ken Paxton’s targeting of the Houston midwife and abuse of his office’s duty are two sides of the same coin
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2026
CONTACT: Emily Witt (she/her), [email protected]
HOUSTON – Maria Rojas, the midwife who provided maternal health services to low-income and immigrant communities in the greater Houston area, is today having her appeals court hearing, asking the court to reverse the decision that shuttered her clinics.
BACKGROUND:
- Ken Paxton, who has a track record of misusing his office’s authority for his political gain, launched the investigation against Rojas before it even went through the proper channels, overstepping his jurisdiction from the beginning.
- Paxton then left it to his former employee — now the Waller County District Attorney — to rubber-stamp the entire process, ensuring Paxton’s political agenda stayed intact. It’s a political maneuver that reeks of corruption and abuse of power to target and intimidate low-income and immigrant communities who are not just seeking reproductive healthcare, but any care at all.
- Midwife Maria Rojas’ arrest and smear campaign then led to the shuttering of her clinics
Avow Texas Executive Director raven e. Freeborn (they/them) issued the following statement:
“The clinics that licensed midwife Rojas operated were a lifeline, providing essential care to communities of color facing significant health disparities. Midwives have long been pillars of reproductive healthcare, offering comprehensive support to those who encounter systemic barriers due to language, racial bias, and citizenship status. Their work is crucial, especially in places where access to healthcare remains unaffordable and unavailable. States, like Texas, with the most extreme abortion bans are also the ones that have historically restricted critical community-based midwifery care, using regulatory barriers and legal threats to limit their work.
“Amid the recent report that Houston is the most dangerous city for Black people to give birth in, we need more community-centered pregnancy and postpartum healthcare, including abortion care. Instead, Attorney General Ken Paxton abuses his power, weaponizing legal processes to attack the very healthcare providers who are filling gaps deliberately created and overlooked by Texas’s own Department of State Health Services. Meanwhile, the State’s Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Committee decided to skip reviewing pregnancy-related deaths from 2021 – 2024.
“The real threat to Texas women and birthing people comes from abortion bans, criminal penalties, and patronizing restrictive laws that block qualified healthcare providers from serving the communities that need them the most, especially those with large numbers of disenfranchised and vulnerable people. Ultimately, Paxton’s abuse of power strips Texans of dignity, respect, and access to trusted care.”
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