Dawn Johnsen: Pro-life laws “reduce pregnant women to no more than fetal containers” ~ Nominee to Head the Office of Legal Counsel in Limbo

by: Georgia Kijesky

Dawn Johnsen has been nominated by President Obama to head the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice, and as a former NARAL Attorney, she brings some outrageous views about abortion to the table.

She has worked for the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project.

While serving as legal director of NARAL (the National Abortion Rights Action League) from 1988 to 1993, Johnsen argued in a Supreme Court brief that restrictions on abortion violate the Thirteenth Amendment’s prohibition against slavery because “the state has conscripted [the pregnant woman’s] body for its own ends.”
She believes that a pre-born child has no separate existence apart from the mother.

In the late 1980's she worked on a lawsuit, United States Catholic Conference v. Abortion Rights Mobilization, that sought to strip the Catholic Church and other religious denominations of their tax exempt status because of their pro-life advocacy.

Shortly after President Clinton took office in 1993, he signed five executive orders overturning abortion restrictions. The author of those orders? You guessed it,
Dawn Johnsen.

Contrary to settled law, Johnsen believes that “economic justice” requires the government to provide funding for the exercise of constitutional rights, especially abortion rights. She has called the Hyde Amendment’s prohibition on federal funding of abortions a “callous” and “discriminatory” policy.

The U.S. Bishops have publicly opposed the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), that, if enacted, would repeal every state and federal restriction on abortion. This would include forcing Catholic hospitals to start performing abortions or have their funding pulled. Who was a contributing author to this heinous bill? That's right, Dawn Johnsen.

She has compared pro-life demonstrators praying outside of abortion clinics to the Ku Klux Klan.



Johnsen has a long track record of intolerance to positions conflicting with her pro-abortion agenda. Following the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Johnsen violated the rule against accusing judges of bias when she said that “In any abortion or sexual harassment case, Judge Thomas’s ability to be unbiased or neutral is highly suspect.”



While speaking on the House floor about radical pro-abortion nominee Dawn Johnsen, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) sheds some light on how Dawn Johnsen views motherhood. Johnsen holds radical views not only on abortion, but she also holds a contempt for motherhood itself. Her bizarre legal reasoning is far too dangerous for the Office of Legal Counsel.



House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) delivered remarks on the House floor about his reservations concerning the President's nomination of Dawn Johnsen to lead the Office of Legal Counsel.

As of today, the nomination remains in limbo. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said that he does not have the votes to bring up President Barack Obama’s pick to run the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel.

“Right now we’re finding out when to do that,” Reid said, responding to a question about the status of Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen’s nomination to the Justice post. “We need a couple Republican votes until we can get to 60.”

Reid also indicated that at least a few Democrats would also oppose Johnsen, making the task of reaching 60 votes to avert a Republican filibuster even more difficult.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) “is very concerned” about Johnsen’s nomination, press secretary Clay Westrope said, pointing to her tenure as the legal director of NARAL Pro-Choice America as a point of concern.

"Senator Nelson is very concerned about the nomination of Dawn Johnsen, based on her previous position as Counsel for NARAL. He believes that the Office of Legal Counsel is a position in which personal views can have an impact and is concerned about her outspoken pro-choice views on abortion," said spokesman Clay Westrope.

Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), who recently joined the Democratic Conference after 29 years as a Republican Senator, has stated that he will vote against Johnsen’s nomination when it hits the floor.

Please, help STOP the nomination of Dawn Johnsen NOW!! If she wins the nomination--she may someday soon be sitting as a Supreme Court Justice of the United States...alongside Sonia Sotomayor...

Type your name and contact information and hit "Enter", to be taken to a page to write your Senators today. Tell them to vote against Dawn Johnsen nomination!

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FOR THEIR LIVES!!!!