The trial of a prominent anti-abortion activist opens amid a political firestorm in Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA — The scuffle was brief. The injuries minor. And had the altercation that broke out near the intersection of 12th and Locust Streets on Oct. 31, 2021, occurred on almost any other street corner in the city, it might never have landed in federal court. But because of who was involved — Mark Houck, a prominent Catholic anti-abortion activist, and Bruce Love, a Planned Parenthood patient escort volunteer — and where their fracas occurred — just steps from the Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center, a reproductive health clinic that provides abortion services in Center City — the incident ...