Pro-Life Dad Wins Settlement

In Fall 2021, Mark and his son were praying outside of a Planned Parenthood, when a volunteer escort, Bruce Love, verbally harassed Mark’s son. He stepped in and protected his son. Houck was not charged by the Philadelphia Police. The Planned Parenthood facility dismissed Love for his unprofessional conduct, according to an email sent by Planned Parenthood. In the months that followed, Houck even received a subpoena about a potential arrest. He offered to turn himself in, but the FBI declined his offer. 

In September 2022, Mark Houck’s home in Bucks County, outside of Philadelphia, was raided by the FBI. They had no warrants. Two dozen agents showed up, held Houck at gunpoint, and traumatized his entire family. Some of his kids feared that his father would never be seen again. The FBI arrested him for violation of the FACE Act, as they treated him like a drug lord when he was detained for hours and was to stand trial. Under the Biden administration, many pro-life activists, especially Houck, were charged with violating the FACE Act in what the Justice Department now claims was a weaponization of the law.

In January 2023, Houck was acquitted. Later that year, the family sued the DOJ because they “suffered post-traumatic stress, economic loss, and loss of reputation after the event. They also said their children suffered from intense anxiety, constant fear of losing their parents, and inability to sleep, and that the stress from the trial led Ryan-Marie to have three miscarriages and receive an infertility diagnosis”.

When the family won the case, it was a victory for free speech as Shawn Carney, founder of 40 Days for Life, reacted. It wasn’t just for pro-lifers: “It’s a huge victory for all Americans who want our right to speak our minds peacefully in a law-abiding way without fear of our own government.”

In addition to Carney, Peter Breen, VP and Head of Litigation for Thomas More Society, was “thrilled” about Houck’s outcome.

“The Biden Department of Justice’s intimidation against pro-life people and people of faith has been put in its place,” Breen said.

“We took on Goliath — the full might of the United States government — and won,” Breen said. “The jury saw through and rejected the prosecution’s discriminatory case, which was harassment from Day 1. This is a win for Mark and the entire pro-life movement.”

The cloud of Biden’s miscarriage of justice has lifted. Houck stood tall and continued to fight the good fight of faith.