Mark Houck, a Catholic pro-life activist who has been cleared of all charges, spoke with House Judiciary members this week. He recalled the time when armed federal and state agents invaded his house last year on suspicion that he had prevented others from visiting an abortion facility.
Houck testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government that “my home had been invaded by ten unidentified units, and state troopers, including federal law enforcement officers. At 6:30 in the morning, five federal officials arrived at my house, aiming their long rifles at my seven children and myself.”
Houck, the executive director of a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that provides counseling to women outside of abortion clinics, spoke before a panel of subcommittee members during a hearing to review the FACE Act’s implications and look at the most recent attacks on pregnancy centers as well as pro-life facilities in addition to the Biden Administration’s application of the federal law.
Houck was declared innocent in January after being threatened by federal officials with 11 years in jail for allegedly breaking the FACE Act, which makes it unlawful to harm, intimidate, or interfere with anybody because they are a provider of reproductive health care. FBI officers invaded the pro-life activist’s home in 15 cars months before the pro-life activist was found not guilty by a jury. They rapidly encircled the home and started banging on the door, demanding that they let them in.
He told the panel that he thinks the FBI searched his house in order to “humiliate me, to frighten my kids, and to spread fear into pro-life America.”
Houck said that “his children cried during the whole procedure while being in close proximity to many firearms. The committee should be aware of their trauma.”
Jim Jordan, the chairman of the judiciary committee, reiterated Houck’s claims, claiming that he feels he was singled out by federal law enforcement because of his pro-life stance and that they threatened to cut off funding for the FBI.
Therefore, Jordan informed Houck, “If you are pro-family, supporter of life, and you happen to desire a border, you are a target — and you and your family match all of those. For goodness’ sake, you are a pro-life, pro-family Catholic; they are going to go after you. You have seven children. You know, we’re attempting to preserve the earth, so you can’t have seven kids anymore. That is not permitted in modern-day America.”
“You served as an example,” Jordan said. “That shows just how widespread this political mindset is at the highest positions of our agencies.”
Notably, a top FBI source informed Fox News that this family’s door may have been approached by 15-20 responding agents with firearms. The source said that officials never pointed their weapons at Houck or his family.
The chairman of the committee, Mike Johnson (R-LA), said that he thought the Biden administration had shown “a clear double standard” by applying the FACE Act in a manner that shields pro-abortion activists and institutions while mostly disregarding assaults on pro-life protesters, venues, and churches.
Author: Steven Sinclaire
