Pro-life activist Mark Houck acquitted of federal charges

A Pennsylvania jury on Monday acquitted pro-life activist Mark Houck on charges of obstructing an abortion facility. Houck would have faced up to 11 years in prison if found guilty. The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) makes it a federal crime to physically obstruct the entrance, or use any type of force or threat of force to keep someone out of a reproductive healthcare clinic—which includes abortion centers and pro-life crisis pregnancy centers.

What are the details of Houck’s arrest? Last fall, FBI agents arrested Houck at his home in connection with an alleged altercation he and his son had with a 72-year-old Planned Parenthood volunteer in Philadelphia. Houck’s attorney Peter Breen has called the incident a sidewalk squabble that should have never become a federal case. Breen says Houck’s arrest was an abuse of power by the Justice Department meant to intimidate pro-life Americans.

Dig deeper: Read Emma Freire’s report in WORLD Magazine about how 9/11 and the quest for power turned the FBI into a political weapon.

Houck Trial: Post-Verdict Press Conference, January 30, 2023 from Thomas More Society on Vimeo.