Jurors deadlocked in case of pro-life activist facing 11 years for allegedly pushing abortion clinic volunteer

Deadlocked jurors are set to reconvene Monday in the case against a Pennsylvania pro-life activist who faces up to 11 years in prison for allegedly pushing a Planned Parenthood escort during a clash outside an abortion clinic.

Mark Houck, 48, was arrested by the FBI last September in front of his family at his home in rural Kintnersville, Pennsylvania, on charges that he violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act during an altercation he had with the escort in Philadelphia in October 2021.

Houck pleaded not guilty to violating the FACE Act, which prohibits “violent, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services.”

Houck, a Catholic who routinely engaged in prayerful protests outside abortion clinics, was accused of pushing 72-year-old Bruce Love after the escort allegedly yelled at Houck’s 12-year-old son. Both Houck and his son testified during the trial last week.

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Bill Devlin, a pastor who has ministered with Houck for more than 20 years and has been attending his court proceedings, told The Christian Post last week that when Houck’s attorneys were arguing a motion to dismiss, he heard Judge Gerald Pappert say, “It appears to me that the U.S. government is stretching the statute of the FACE Act.”

“We are deep brothers in the faith, and I’ve come alongside to undergird and support him because it’s the presumption of innocent until the government can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mark Houck violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act,” Devlin told the outlet.

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Shortly after Houck’s arrest last fall, his attorney Peter Breen told Fox News Digital that his client’s arrest was an “outrageous abuse of power” from the Department of Justice that was intended to intimidate pro-life Americans.

“The message from the Biden Department of Justice is pure intimidation against pro-life people and people of faith,” said Breen, senior counsel of the Thomas More Society. “Why in the world would you send this phalanx of officers heavily armed to this family’s home, violate the sanctity of their home, frighten their children? Why would you do that, other than just to send a message?

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“We are up against the full might of the U.S. government and the highest levels of the DOJ,” the attorney added. “I don’t know if the attorney general personally authorized the raid, but his top lieutenants did if he didn’t do it himself.”

The FBI referred Fox News Digital to a former statement that its Philadelphia office made last fall regarding Houck, which countered that there were “inaccurate claims being made” regarding his arrest.

“FBI agents knocked on Mr. Houck’s front door, identified themselves as FBI agents, and asked him to exit the residence,” the statement said. “He did so and was taken into custody without incident pursuant to an indictment.

“Extensive planning takes place prior to the service of any federal warrant. The FBI then employs the personnel and tactics deemed necessary to effect a safe arrest or search,” FBI Philadelphia added. 

“While it’s the FBI’s standard practice not to discuss such operational specifics, we can say that the number of personnel and vehicles widely reported as being on scene Friday is an overstatement, and the tactics used by FBI personnel were professional, in line with standard practices, and intended to ensure the safety of everyone present in and outside the residence.”

 

The FBI also noted that it is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of suspects involved in the attacks against reproductive health service facilities, which include pro-life crisis pregnancy centers.