Pennsylvania pro-life activist is arrested by SWAT team after assaulting a Planned Parenthood worker
>
An “armed SWAT team of 25” Friday arrested a Catholic pro-life activist at his Pennsylvania home after he reportedly assaulted an elderly man twice at a Planned Parenthood clinic in 2021.
Mark Houck, 48, is the co-founder of The King’s Men Ministry, which aids in the spiritual development of young men. He is accused of injuring a 72-year-old volunteer at Planned Parenthood Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center on Locust Street on October 13, 2021.
Ryan-Marie, Mark’s wife, spoke of the horrific arrest as officers served the warrant with “guns pointed” at her seven children.
“A SWAT team of about 25 came to my house with about 15 vehicles and started banging on our door,” Ryan-Marie told the Catholic news agency. “They said they’d break in if he didn’t open it. And then they had about five guns pointed at my husband, myself, and basically my kids.’
“The kids were all just screaming,” she later said LifeSite. “It was all just really scary and traumatic.”
Mark has received an outpouring of support on social media, with some calling his arrest with more than two dozen armed officers a “power grab.”
If convicted, Mark will face up to 11 years in prison, three years of supervised release and approximately $350,000 in fines, according to the Justice Department.
Mark Houck, 48, was arrested in front of his family early Friday morning after allegedly pushing an elderly Planned Parenthood worker to the ground in 2021
Mark is accused of injuring a 72-year-old volunteer who was working at the Planned Parenthood Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center on Locust Street on October 13, 2021. Pictured: outside the center Mark apparently pushed the employee
Mark had taken his 12-year-old son to pray with him outside the clinic in October 2021 when the older worker reportedly began harassing the duo. Pictured: Pro-life protesters pray outside the Philadelphia Planned Parenthood clinic in May 2019
A fundraising profile to support the Houck family claimed Mark pushed the 72-year-old after the older man refused to leave him and his 12-year-old son alone
A fundraising profile in support of the Houck family claimed that Mark pushed the 72-year-old after the older man refused to leave him and his 12-year-old son alone.
Mark and his son were praying outside the clinic when the elderly worker began harassing them, according to the fundraising page. The couple then decided to leave the clinic and were followed down the street by the crying worker.
The service employee pushed the older man when he refused to leave the duo alone.
Meanwhile, US Attorney Jacqueline Romero announced Mark’s arrest and his “intent to injure” a “reproductive health care” provider identified as BL
BL accused Mark of pushing him down twice, requiring medical attention.
“In the first incident, BL was trying to escort two patients who were leaving the clinic when the defendant forcibly pushed BL to the floor,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
“In the second incident, the defendant verbally confronted BL and forcibly pushed BL to the ground in front of the Planned Parenthood center, causing BL injuries that required medical attention.”
An FBI spokesman in Philadelphia later denied claims that a SWAT team was present at Mark’s arrest.
“Incorrect claims are being made about the arrest of Mark Houck,” an FBI spokesperson told DailyMail.com. “There was no SWAT team or SWAT operators involved.
“FBI agents knocked on Mr. Houck’s front door, identified themselves as FBI agents, and asked him to leave the residence. He did and was arrested on a charge without incident.’
The spokesperson further debunked claims that 25 staff members were present at the time of Mark’s arrest, calling it “an exaggeration.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Justice announced Mark’s arrest and his “intent to injure a ‘reproductive caregiver’ identified as BL Pictured: Police outside Planned Parenthood’s clinic during a protest in May 2019
BL accused Mark of pushing him to the ground when the clinic worker tried to escort two others outside the clinic. Pictured: Pro-life activist gathered outside the abortion clinic in May 2019
BL later claimed that he was pushed a second time and had to undergo medical treatment. Pictured: Pro-life activist gathered outside the abortion clinic in May 2019
Court documents show the allegations against Mark on October 13, 2021
Supporters of the pro-life activists spoke out in support of Mark on Twitter
Critics were not happy with Mark’s actions and applauded his arrest
Some of Mark’s supporters were outraged when they learned of how he was arrested, including Catholic icon Chris Stefanick.
“A brother-in-law of a friend of mine, Mark Houck, runs a men’s ministry, praying and counseling women outside an abortion clinic in Philly. He is not a screamer/chain yourself to the entry door types. He has saved lives and supported children he saved. He’s the real deal.’
Stefanick continued: ‘[Friday] a SWAT team broke open his door and put a gun to his face in front of his wife and children to “restrict access” to an abortion clinic. Which he never did. Total, blatant, false accusation against a man who poses no threat to justify a SWAT team.
“For the record: 1 It’s NOT okay to assault someone in an abortion clinic. 2 It IS understandable why you would push a pervert away from your child. Being 72 doesn’t automatically make you a victim. Being 12 and being intimidated with sexual comments is.’
Others pointed the finger at President Biden’s administration and its “abuse of power” against Americans through the use of “the FBI’s weapons.”
“Mark and Ryan-Marie Houck’s seven children were traumatized and in tears as they saw their parents held at gunpoint and their father taken away in handcuffs,” Pennsylvania Senator Doug Mastriano said in a statement.
Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson added, “The FBI became Biden’s secret police. Sending a small army of heavily armed cops to raid Mark Houck’s home should scare EVERY American. The FBI uses fear and intimidation tactics to go after conservatives. END!!’
Mark Houck now faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison, three years of supervised release and fines of up to $350,000. All because he pushed a Planned Planned Parenthood Volunteer to the floor who came into his son’s personal space and yelled obscenities at him,” added another supporter.
Meanwhile, some were not against Mark’s arrest following the charges.
“I don’t care if Mark Houck had 30 children and lived in a shoe, if he abused an elderly person he will be arrested,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Another said: ‘Mark Houck is a THUG! I don’t care how many kids he has. He attacked a 72-year-old man! He belongs in Jail! He should have been arrested on the spot.’