Monday, March 30, 2009

Senate Confirmation, Dawn Johnsen

President Obama has nominated and sent to the Senate for confirmation, Dawn Johnsen in the position of assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel, "AAG-OLC". Why are we people of good faith opposed to her confirmation? Because, the person who serves as AAG-OLG will play an influential role in both construing existing laws and in evaluating the constitutional and legal implications of various legislative and administrative proposals.

The Justice Departments web site explains, "The Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Office of Legal Counsel, provides authoritative legal advise to the President and all the Executive Branch agencies. The Office drafts legal opinions of the Attorney Generals and also provides it's own written opinions and oral advice in response to requests." The Office is also responsible for providing legal advice to the Executive Branch on all constitutional questions and reviewing pending legislation. 

Dawn Johnsen has a long history as a pro-abortion strategist, propagandist and litigator, including five years as legal director for the organization, then known as the National Abortion's Rights Action League, (NARAL), as well as work on behalf of the ACLU and Abortion Rights Mobilization. Throughout her career, she has expressed her opposition to all limits on abortion. And has often criticized courts for being, in her view, insufficiently expansive in their application of pro-abortion legal doctrines. 

In a Supreme Court case, Webster v Reproductive Health Services, Johnsen was the lead author on a brief that argued that statutes that  limit access to abortion are, "disturbingly suggestive of involuntary servitude, prohibited by the Thirteenth Amendment, in that enforced pregnancy requires a woman to provide continuous physical service to the fetus ..." 

Since her nomination, Johnsen has made a few feeble and unconvincing attempts to distance herself from some of her past actions and statements. Obama's nomination is very adamently pro-abortion, but so is he.  

   

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