College of Notre Dame Appoints Radical Professional-Abortion Professor to Key Put up
The University of Notre Dame, a leading Catholic institution, has appointed Susan Ostermann, an outspoken advocate for abortion who has described abortion bans protecting babies as “violence against women” and linked them to white supremacy, as the new director of its Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.
The appointment, effective July 1, comes despite Ostermann’s history of promoting abortion in national opinion pieces, including bogus claims that “[a]bortion saves women’s lives.”
Critics argue the move contradicts Notre Dame’s commitment to the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.
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Ostermann, an associate professor of global affairs and political science hired by Notre Dame in 2017, specializes in state capacity, coercion and law with a focus on South Asia. She teaches undergraduate and law school courses and has led study abroad programs in Mumbai.
Keough School of Global Affairs Dean Mary Gallagher praised Ostermann as an “outstanding choice,” calling her “an exceptional scholar and a deeply engaged teacher whose work reflects the Keough School’s commitment to rigorous, interdisciplinary research with real-world impact.”
Current Liu Institute director Michael Hockx described her as an “inspiring leader” in the university’s announcement, which made no mention of her abortion advocacy.
Ostermann has written multiple national opinion articles advocating for increased abortion.
In a 2022 Chicago Tribune article co-authored with former Notre Dame professor Tamara Kay, titled “Lies about abortion have dictated our health policy,” they wrote, “Almost 90% of abortions occur during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy when there are no babies or fetuses. There are only blastocysts or embryos so tiny they are too small to be seen on an abdominal ultrasound.”
None of that information is true.
Ostermann has called forced pregnancy and childbirth instances of “violence against women,” “sexual abuse,” and “trauma.”
She has linked bans on abortion to white supremacy, writing, “Abortion criminalization and gun rights in the U.S. have their roots in white supremacy and racism.” Never mind that Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger is the actual racist.
Ostermann has also condemned crisis pregnancy centers as “anti-abortion rights propaganda sites, to operate and provide false information to women who are lured to them believing they will receive legitimate medical care.”
In another Chicago Tribune article, she wrote, “[T]he manner in which the information is delivered [at crisis pregnancy centers] is specifically designed to deceive pregnant people.”
In 2022, then-Notre Dame president Rev. John I. Jenkins disavowed Ostermann and Kay’s pro-abortion column in the Chicago Tribune, stating that the essay does not reflect the views and values of the University of Notre Dame in its tone, arguments or assertions.
Jenkins added that Notre Dame’s institutional position on abortion recognizes and upholds the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.
The university’s statement on the recent appointment emphasized Ostermann’s research on regulatory compliance and her role in expanding global partnerships, while noting that those in leadership positions must make decisions guided by and consistent with the University’s Catholic mission.
It reaffirmed Notre Dame’s unwavering commitment to upholding the inherent dignity of the human person and the sanctity of life at every stage.
Ostermann declined to comment on the matter and directed inquiries to the university’s office of communications.
