{"id":2093889,"date":"2023-11-08T12:05:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T17:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/family-of-anti-abortion-activist-arrested-by-fbi-seeks-3-25-million-in-damages\/"},"modified":"2023-11-08T12:10:49","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T17:10:49","slug":"family-of-anti-abortion-activist-arrested-by-fbi-seeks-3-25-million-in-damages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/family-of-anti-abortion-activist-arrested-by-fbi-seeks-3-25-million-in-damages\/","title":{"rendered":"Family of anti-abortion activist arrested by FBI seeks $3.25 million in damages"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffamily-of-anti-abortion-activist-arrested-by-fbi-seeks-3-25-million-in-damages%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2093889&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>The Houck Family Sues Justice Department for $3.25 Million in Damages<\/h2>\n<p>The family of passionate anti-abortion activist Mark Houck is taking legal action against the Justice Department, seeking $3.25 million in damages. They claim to have suffered significant emotional \u2063distress when Houck was arrested by the FBI at gunpoint.<\/p>\n<p>Houck, a\u2063 devoted Catholic and father of\u200b seven, gained national attention in September 2022 when he faced federal charges for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE)\u200b Act. This act prohibits anti-abortion advocates from intimidating women\u200c seeking abortions.<\/p>\n<h3>Hope for Abortion Rights Shines Through Tuesday&#8217;s Elections<\/h3>\n<p>In a 26-page complaint filed against the Justice Department, Houck&#8217;s spouse,\u2062 Ryan-Marie Houck, vividly describes the trauma their seven children experienced during the arrest. A team of heavily armed FBI agents arrived at their rural property in 15 vehicles, setting\u2063 up firing positions and banging on their door.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;At the\u200b time of the raid, when she was only nine years old, she witnessed SWAT personnel staring her down at the back door,&#8221; the complaint states, referring\u200b to their daughter Therese, who already struggled with anxiety. &#8220;This memory continues to haunt her to this day.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The\u200b Houcks believe they \u200dwere targeted by President Joe Biden&#8217;s DOJ as a means of intimidating their family due to their anti-abortion activism, which includes praying outside abortion clinics.<\/p>\n<p>Houck&#8217;s charges stemmed from an incident\u2064 in 2021\u200c outside a \u200bPlanned Parenthood clinic in Philadelphia. He pushed an abortion clinic volunteer who had been\u200b harassing\u2062 his son, Mark Jr. Local law enforcement did not\u200c press charges, but Biden&#8217;s DOJ took action shortly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. \u2063Wade, \u200dalmost a year after the altercation occurred.<\/p>\n<p>Although Houck was acquitted by a jury in January 2023, his wife claims that the FBI&#8217;s investigation, the\u200c invasion of their home, and his subsequent arrest have caused ongoing suffering for the\u2063 entire family.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Based upon the foregoing allegations, Mrs. Houck now seeks to \u200crecover $1,500,000 in monetary damages due\u2062 to the intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault committed by the DOJ and FBI,&#8221; the complaint states.\u200b Each child is seeking $250,000 in damages.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The president of 40 Days to Life, an international anti-abortion association, is supporting the Houck family&#8217;s lawsuit against the federal government. Shawn Carney, the group&#8217;s president, sees this as a significant moment in \u200bthe fight for pro-life individuals.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;This is more than just\u200b a lawsuit; it&#8217;s \u200da resounding declaration \u200dthat the era of targeting individuals for their \u2064pro-life stance is over,&#8221; Carney stated. &#8220;Mark Houck\u2019s home was besieged at gunpoint \u2014 an appalling show of force that was completely unwarranted.\u200c The local authorities saw no crime, yet the DOJ sought to make an example of him.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In addition to the lawsuit, Houck announced in August that he is running in the Republican primary for Congress in Pennsylvania. He\u2064 aims to \u2062challenge centrist incumbent Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) in a swing district in the Philadelphia area. Houck \u200dbelieves that his \u2062arrest has inspired him to \u200buse his voice and experience to protect people \u2062from government overreach.<\/p>\n<p>The Washington Examiner reached out to the DOJ and the FBI for their\u2064 response.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How \u200ddoes the incident involving \u2062the \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americans-remember-the-48th-annual-march-for-life\/\" title=\"Americans remember the 48th annual March for Life\">anti-abortion activists<\/a> blocking \u200dthe entrance to the abortion clinic relate to the\u200c Freedom of Access to\u200b Clinic Entrances Act?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Stem from an incident in which he and several\u2064 other\u2062 anti-abortion activists allegedly blocked the entrance\u200c to \u2062a local abortion \u2064clinic, preventing women from accessing services. The activists claim\u2063 that they were peacefully\u2063 exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech and religious expression.<\/p>\n<p>The Houcks argue that their arrest was not only unnecessary \u2064but also traumatizing for their entire family. They assert that the excessive use \u200dof force and \u2062tactics employed\u2064 by \u2063the FBI \u200bduring the \u2064arrest were not justified, as Houck posed no immediate threat or danger. The family\u200b contends that\u2064 the raid was carried out \u200bsolely\u2062 to\u2063 instill fear\u2062 and silence \u200btheir anti-abortion activism.<\/p>\n<p>While \u2063the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act aims to protect\u2064 women seeking abortions from harassment or intimidation, the \u2064Houcks\u200b argue that it infringes on \u200ctheir rights to exercise\u200b their deeply \u2064held\u200b religious beliefs.\u200b They believe\u200d that they should be allowed \u200dto peacefully protest and pray outside abortion clinics without being \u200dlabeled as intimidators \u200bor aggressors.<\/p>\n<p>The Houcks&#8217;\u200d lawsuit against the Justice Department \u200bseeks\u200d $3.25\u200c million in damages\u2064 for the emotional distress \u200cinflicted upon their family during the arrest. They hope \u2064that\u2062 their legal action will shed light on what they perceive as an attack\u2062 on their First\u2064 Amendment rights\u200d and serve as a deterrent against similar actions targeting other\u200c anti-abortion activists.<\/p>\n<p>This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/special-counsel-jack-smith-seeks-narrowly-tailored-gag-order-against-trump\/\" title=\"Special Counsel Jack Smith requests limited gag order on Trump.\">case\u2062 raises important questions<\/a> about the balance between \u200dprotecting women&#8217;s right to\u200d access abortion clinics and safeguarding individuals&#8217; \u2062rights to engage in peaceful protests and religious expression. While the justice system \u2064will \u2062ultimately determine the outcome of the\u2062 Houcks&#8217; lawsuit, it serves as a reminder\u2064 of the complex and contentious\u200d nature of\u200b the abortion debate\u2064 in\u2063 the United States.<\/p>\n<p>As this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oklahoma-approves-first-religious-charter-school-in-united-states\/\" title=\"First religious charter school approved in Oklahoma.\">legal battle unfolds<\/a>, it will undoubtedly draw \u2064attention from individuals\u2062 and organizations\u2064 on both \u2063sides of the abortion\u2062 issue. The outcome of the\u2064 lawsuit could have significant implications for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/family-of-anti-abortion-activist-arrested-by-fbi-seeks-3-25-million-in-damages\/\" title=\"Family of anti-abortion activist arrested by FBI seeks .25 million in damages\">future cases\u2062 involving anti-abortion activists<\/a> and the enforcement of the\u2063 Freedom \u2063of Access \u200bto Clinic Entrances\u2063 Act.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of personal beliefs surrounding abortion, it is\u2064 important to recognize \u2062the importance of \u2063safeguarding individuals&#8217;\u2062 constitutional rights, \u200bincluding the freedom\u2063 of speech and \u2064the right to practice one&#8217;s religion. While the Houcks&#8217; \u200blawsuit seeks substantial financial\u200d compensation, its true significance lies in its\u2064 potential to shape the legal landscape surrounding abortion activism and the protection of individual liberties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The family of anti-abortion activist Mark Houck is suing the Justice Department for $3.25 million in damages for &#8220;substantial emotional distress&#8221; they faced when he was arrested at gunpoint by the FBI. Houck, 49, is a practicing Catholic and father of seven who rose to national prominence in September 2022 after facing federal charges for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2093890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2093889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2093889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2093889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2093889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2093890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2093889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2093889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2093889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}