‘Faithful without fear’: Pro-life advocate Mark Houck joins CatholicVote team
CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt praised Houck’s pro-life leadership and said he will help the organization defend Christian principles and oppose the weaponization of government.
Mark Houck, a prominent pro-life advocate and Catholic father of seven, has joined CatholicVote as a major gifts officer on its development team.
CatholicVote CEO and President Kelsey Reinhardt told Zeale News that Houck represents “the kind of pro-life leadership America needs: courageous without compromise, faithful without fear, and committed to building a culture in which every mother, father, and child is treated with dignity.”
The organization describes Houck as a pro-life advocate who “took on the Biden administration — and won,” a reference to his acquittal on charges brought against him under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and his subsequent settlement with the Department of Justice.
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“Mark Houck is the epitome of CatholicVote’s mission to inspire every Catholic in America to live out the truths of our faith in public life,” Reinhardt said. “We will be a stronger and more effective organization with him on board.”
In his new role, Houck will build relationships with CatholicVote supporters and help secure resources for the organization’s many endeavors, according to the organization. He will also contribute to CatholicVote’s volunteer and pro-life efforts.
The announcement follows Reinhardt’s Aug. 12 appeal to Massachusetts’ Catholic bishops to clarify Democratic Gov. Maura Healey’s standing in the Church after she signed a law eliminating the state’s previous 24-week limit on abortion.
As Zeale News previously reported, the law allows abortion at any time during pregnancy based on a physician’s “professional judgment.” In her letter, Reinhardt called abortion a “grave moral disorder” and cited provisions of canon law governing automatic excommunication for procuring a completed abortion and assisting in one.
“Mark’s witness to the truth of Catholic teaching on abortion stands in stark contrast to the gravely immoral example of Gov. Healey,” Reinhardt said..
She added that Houck will help the organization in its efforts to counter the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which has gained political influence in recent elections.
“We are grateful for Mark’s fortitude and proud to have him stand with CatholicVote as we defend Christian principles, now being so aggressively targeted by the official and ultra-extreme platform of the Democratic Socialists of America,” Reinhardt said. “Mark will help us take the fight to the DSA to ensure the weaponization of government doesn’t happen again.”
CatholicVote’s readers named Houck and his family the organization’s 2022 “Hero of the Year” following his arrest under the Biden administration.
“CatholicVote was a constant support to me and my family when the federal government waged its lawfare against me,” Houck said. “Joining CatholicVote is an opportunity to give back to the organization that gave me so much. I am blessed to be on a team that shares my passion for advancing the culture of life and enables me to be authentically and unapologetically Catholic in the public square.”
