Houck was found not guilty of FACE Act violations in a Pennsylvania court.
After pro-life activist Mark Houck was acquitted in a Pennsylvania court, Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas urged his colleagues to reevaluate the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
On Monday, Houck, 48, was found not guilty of blocking access to a Philadelphia abortion clinic in 2021, for which he had been arrested and tried by the Department of Justice.
“While justice has been done, this open act of coercion should never have been allowed to proceed. Never should Mark Houck and his eight kids have had to endure an FBI raid or witness their dad taken away in handcuffs “Roy said to Fox News.
There were allegations that Houck had broken the FACE Act, which makes it a federal crime to use force to hurt, intimidate, or otherwise interfere with anybody because that person produces reproductive health services. He entered a not-guilty plea.
In September of 2022, Houck was arrested in his own house.
“To prevent further exploitation of this militarized federal invasion of state police authorities, Congress must maintain supervision of the FACE Act. The Department of Justice receives tens of billions of dollars annually, and Congress should investigate how that money is being used.”
In a statement released on October 13, 2021, the Biden Administration claimed that Houck attacked and “forcefully shoved” a 72-year-old volunteer named Bruce Love at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Philadelphia.