A Catholic pro-life activist facing 11 years in prison for allegedly violating a federal law prohibiting people from blocking others from entering an abortion clinic was acquitted on Monday following a week-long trial.

Mark Houck leads a nonprofit group that counsels women outside of abortion clinics in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was providing sidewalk counseling when, the Department of Justice says, he assaulted an abortion escort twice “because he was a volunteer reproductive health care clinic escort.”

“Assault is always a serious offense, and under the [Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances] FACE Act, if the victim is targeted because of their association with a reproductive healthcare clinic, it is a federal crime,” U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero said in a DOJ press release. “Our Office and the Department of Justice are committed to prosecuting crimes which threaten the safety and rights of all individuals.”

See Also:

The Fierce White Waters of Aspropotamos in the Heart of Greece

The FACE Act makes it a federal crime to injure, intimidate, or interfere with anyone due to their status as a producer of reproductive health care.

Houck and his attorneys at the Thomas More Society argue, however, that this “is a political prosecution” meant to “send a message” to pro-life Americans.

Read more: Daily Wire