Mark Houck ordered to surrender firearms, passport as conditions of release after FBI arrest by AshleySadler for Life Site News
Houck has been ordered to confine his travel within the district, give up or refrain from obtaining a passport or firearms, and refrain from protesting or sidewalk counseling outside the abortion facility named in the case.
Official court documents in the federal case against pro-life Catholic speaker and father of seven Mark Houck have been released after Houck’s dramatic arrest by heavily-armed FBI agents last week.
The documents include the grant jury indictment against Houck, the arrest warrant, and conditions of release requiring Houck to, among other things, confine his travel within the district and surrender or refrain from obtaining a passport or firearms.
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LifeSiteNews broke the now-viral story of Houck’s Friday arrest shortly after it took place. The case has generated national attention and strong backlash from conservative and pro-life commentators and lawmakers.
The arrest stemmed from an alleged altercation between Houck and an abortion clinic “escort” outside a downtown Philadelphia Planned Parenthood abortion facility last year where Houck, a pro-life sidewalk counselor, was protesting along with his then-12-year-old son.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has released a trove of documents associated with the case: United States v. Houck.
Grand jury indictment
Documents made public include the grand jury indictment dated September 20 alleging that Houck twice violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
The “FACE” Act establishes federal penalties for anyone who uses “force or threat of force” or “physical obstruction” to “injure, intimidate or interfere with any person” who is, has, or is attempting to provide or obtain so-called “reproductive health services,” i.e. abortions. The law also protects pro-life protesters, as well as pregnancy centers and churches from injury, obstruction, or interference.
Houck is accused of two counts of violating the FACE act when he allegedly pushed an abortion facility “escort” (referred to in the filing as “B.L.”) on two separate occasions on October 13, 2021 outside the Planned Parenthood – Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center in Philadelphia (“PPC”).
