A jury acquitted Mark Houck, a Catholic father and anti-abortion activist, of federal charges related to an incident in which he allegedly shoved a volunteer at a Pennsylvania
abortion
clinic.
The jury acquitted Houck, 48, of two separate federal charges that he violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. Houck faced a maximum of 11 years in prison if he had been convicted.
TEXAS VA NURSE’S SUIT TO OPT OUT OF ABORTIONS IS INSPIRED BY CHRISTIAN FAITH, PAST REGRETS
The charges against Houck stemmed from an October 2021 incident outside of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Philadelphia. Houck was accused of shoving Bruce Love, a volunteer at the clinic. The indictment claimed that the Catholic father and activist had attacked Love in a bid to interfere with the abortion clinic’s work, which Houck denied.
Instead, Houck claims that Love had engaged in vulgar and harassing behavior toward his son, and that he only shoved Love to protect his child.
The jury in the case began deliberations on Friday and resumed Monday morning with a crowd that included Houck’s family praying outside the courtroom. Catholic News Agency
reported
that a juror was replaced by an alternate juror around 1:30 p.m. Monday. Shortly thereafter, the verdict was reached.
“We took on Goliath — the full might of the United States government — and won,” Peter Breen, the executive vice president and head of litigation for the Thomas More Society, said in a statement. “The jury saw through and rejected the prosecution’s discriminatory case, which was harassment from day one. This is a win for Mark and the entire pro-life movement. The Biden Department of Justice’s intimidation against pro-life people and people of faith has been put in its place.”
Houck’s case had become a rallying cry for the anti-abortion movement, in no small part because the FBI raided his home in September and arrested him in front of his family. The incident drew widespread condemnation from conservatives who accused the Department of Justice of unfairly targeting anti-abortion activists.
Good. Begs question of the $48 billion we give to DOJ… #StandUpForAmerica https://t.co/tuKQ1Ez1hA
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) January 30, 2023
After the verdict was announced, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, used the occasion to question the DOJ’s funding.
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Houck was represented by attorneys from the Thomas More Society, a nonprofit conservative legal group with a history of defending anti-abortion activists in court.
