The Obamistake's Ship of Fools Sails Again!

Obama Nominee Compares Being Pregnant To Slavery

By Joe Murray, The Bulletin
Friday, April 03, 2009
When candidate Barack Obama was on the campaign trail last fall, he promised Americans he would find “common ground” concerning the controversial issue of abortion.

But just over two months into his administration, Mr. Obama has nominated two individuals — one who has connections to an infamous late-term abortionist and another who has compared pregnancy to slavery — for key positions inside his administration.

The nominations of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be Health and Human Service Secretary and abortion rights attorney Dawn Johnsen to head the Office of Legal Counsel have called in to doubt Mr. Obama’s credibility on abortion. And they have many in the pro-life community crying foul.

“Dawn Johnsen does not represent mainstream America or the type of common ground abortion policy President Obama promised this nation,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List.

Throughout her career Ms. Johnsen has penned a number of radical legal briefs and articles pro-life advocates claim expose her controversial views on abortion.

Some of most controversial quotes come from a friend of the court brief she penned in the case Webster v. Reproductive Health Services.

“Abortion restrictions ‘reduce pregnant women to no more than fetal containers,’” the brief read.

“The argument that women who become pregnant have in some sense consented to the pregnancy belies reality... and others who are the inevitable losers in the contraceptive lottery no more ‘consent’ to pregnancy than pedestrians ‘consent’ to being struck by drunk drivers.”

She also added, “The experience [of abortion] is no longer traumatic; the response of most women to the experience is relief.”

But her radical views on abortion go even further, as she has compared pregnancy to slavery.

“Her bizarre characterizations of pregnancy as ‘slavery’ and mothers as ‘losers in the contraceptive lottery’ expose an unacceptable disdain for commonsense abortion restrictions and motherhood in general. Furthermore, Johnsen’s opposition to existing federal restrictions like the ban on partial-birth abortion casts doubt on her ability to perform her duties faithfully as the head of the Office of Legal Counsel,” Ms. Dannenfelser said.

Pro-lifers are also upset with the treatment Ms. Sebelius has received from a number of Senate Republicans who they feel are not doing enough to expose the Kansas governor’s affinity to extreme abortion measures, such as partial-birth abortion. During her Thursday hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, not one Republican asked Ms. Sebelius about her pro-abortion record.

“Today’s Senate Finance Committee Hearing was an important opportunity to enlighten public debate about Governor Kathleen Sebelius’ egregious record on abortion in her home state of Kansas,” Ms. Dannenfelser said.

“Yet despite the deep bench of pro-life heroes serving on the Senate Finance Committee, not one senator could manage to ask a single question publicly about Sebelius’ blind eye toward women’s health and regulating abortion clinics.”

Ms. Sebelius has connections to Dr. George Tiller, a notorious late term abortionist, and vetoed a Kansas law that would have implemented measures to increase women’s safety in abortion clinics. Ms. Dannenfelser, however, hopes Republicans will wake-up before it is too late.

“Fortunately, pro-life senators have one last chance. They can raise the issue of Governor Sebelius’ blind eye toward women’s health tonight when her nomination comes to the Senate floor for her final confirmation vote,” she said.

Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us