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Notre Dame student calls professor appointment a 'betrayal' over pro-abortion stance at Catholic university
By Rachel del Guidice
Published February 10, 2026
Students at the University of Notre Dame say they are alarmed by the university’s decision to appoint a professor who has publicly supported abortion to lead the university's Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies.
"As a student at Notre Dame, I feel betrayed by the decision," Lucy Spence, a junior at Notre Dame, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "But as a female student, I am angered. The university's provost, John McGreevy — who declared it his goal last year to make the hiring of women an equal priority to that of hiring Catholics — is now dealing a slap in the face to every female at Notre Dame with his appointment of [Susan] Ostermann as head of the Liu Institute."
Notre Dame announced last month that Susan Ostermann, who joined the university in 2017 as a global affairs professor, will assume her role as director of the Asian studies center in July.
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The campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo: Nicole Abbett/NHLI via Getty Images)
Ostermann has been an outspoken supporter of abortion in her writings.
In 2022, Ostermann co-authored an article titled, "Lies about abortion have dictated our health policy," with former Notre Dame professor Tamara Kay.
In the article, Ostermann and Kay argued, "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."
The authors further wrote that abortion "doesn’t cause cancer, it doesn’t affect future fertility, and most people feel relief after an abortion and do not regret their decision. Up to 11 weeks, medication abortions are generally performed using mifepristone and misoprostol, which are safer than taking Tylenol."
In another 2022 article published by Salon, titled "Forced pregnancy and childbirth are violence against women — and also terrible health policy," Ostermann and Kay wrote, "Criminalizing abortion results in irreparable harm. In fact, it actually has the opposite policy effect that anti-abortion advocates say they want: It can increase abortion rates, unintended pregnancies and infant mortality."
General campus view of Hesburgh Library seen before the game against Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium on Oct. 15, 2016, in South Bend, Indiana. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Additionally, they wrote, "Abortion access is freedom-enhancing, in the truest sense of the word. Consistent with integral human development that emphasizes social justice and human dignity, abortion access respects the inherent dignity of women, their freedom to make choices and to evaluate medical and other risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth."
Spence, who serves as the editor-in-chief of the "Irish Rover," the Catholic and conservative student newspaper on campus, said she is deeply troubled by McGreevy’s role in the decision.
"He thinks it appropriate to promote a professor who has dedicated a significant amount of her professional influence to spreading the greatest lie ever told to women: that their own children are disposable," Spence said. "This is a professor who insists that ‘most people feel relief after an abortion and do not regret their decision.’ This is also a professor who has described crisis pregnancy centers, which provide care to any woman who enters their doors, as ‘anti-abortion rights propaganda sites.’"
Another student, Anna Kelley, told Fox News Digital that her opinion on the matter could be understood through a letter published by the Notre Dame Right to Life Executive Board on which she sits.
A newborn baby sleeps. (iStock)
The letter reads, in part, "Ostermann publicly advocates for policies that are directly opposed to the magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church, which state that abortion is an intrinsic evil. In Ostermann’s statement to The Observer, she says, ‘I respect Notre Dame’s institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage.’ However, she has spent her career advocating for and supporting organizations that directly contradict this statement."
The letter added, "She has done so, moreover, in an inflammatory way; within the context of 11 op-ed pieces, she has referred to laws respecting the sanctity of life as based in ‘white supremacy’ and ‘racism.’ Her work as a member of the Population Council, an organization that collaborated with the Chinese government to promote abortion, contraception and the enforcement of the one-child policy, violates the dignity of human life. These and other actions render Ostermann unfit to serve as head of the Liu Institute."
Bill Dempsey, founding chairman of Sycamore Trust, an unofficial organization of Notre Dame alumni, also shared his concern.
"The elevation of Professor Ostermann, Notre Dame’s most conspicuous public supporter of abortion, to a position of prominence and influence as Director of the Liu Institute of Asia and Asian Studies is a grave scandal and a perversion of the school’s mission to seek the truth," Dempsey told Fox News Digital.
He added, "Notre Dame would not promote a White supremacist or a Holocaust denier no matter how qualified, not because people would think the university shared their views, but because Notre Dame just didn’t care. So, too, here the signal is, not that Notre Dame is pro-abortion, but that it doesn’t think abortion, which the Church has condemned from the first century as gravely immoral, is very important after all."
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The University of Notre Dame Campus with the Golden Dome, Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and Washington Hall. (Aaron Yoder via Getty Images)
Notre Dame and Ostermann told Fox News Digital that they stand by their previous statements.
Notre Dame told Fox News Digital previously that Ostermann "is a highly regarded political scientist and legal scholar whose insightful research on regulatory compliance — from forestry conservation in India and Nepal to NSF-funded disaster mitigation in the U.S. territories — demonstrates the rigorous, interdisciplinary expertise required to lead the Liu Institute."
"A deeply committed educator who has led study abroad programs in Mumbai, she is well prepared to expand the Institute’s global partnerships and create impactful research opportunities that advance our dedication to serving as the preeminent global Catholic research institution," the university continued.
"Those who serve in leadership positions at Notre Dame do so with the clear understanding that their decision-making as leaders must be guided by and consistent with the University's Catholic mission. Notre Dame’s commitment to upholding the inherent dignity of the human person and the sanctity of life at every stage is unwavering," the statement added.
Ostermann previously told Fox News Digital in a statement, "As I step into this role, my primary focus is to serve as a steward for the Liu Institute mission in the context of the University’s larger mission, and a facilitator for our world-class faculty."
She said she is "fully committed to maintaining an environment of academic freedom where a plurality of voices can flourish. I have long worked with scholars who hold diverse views on a multitude of issues, and I welcome the opportunity to continue doing so. While I hold my own convictions on complex social and legal issues, I want to be clear: my role is to support the diverse research of our scholars and students, not to advance a personal political agenda."
Ostermann added that the "commitment to academic inquiry and mutual respect is deeply rooted in my appreciation for Notre Dame’s identity as a global Catholic research university. I am inspired by the University’s focus on Integral Human Development, which calls us to promote the dignity and flourishing of every person."
She continued, "I respect Notre Dame’s institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage. By fostering a collaborative space that values rigorous inquiry, we contribute in important ways to global development and human well-being. As Liu Director, I look forward to working closely with my colleagues to ensure the Liu Institute remains a place where truth is pursued with both excellence and integrity."
Fox News Digital reached out to McGreevy for comment.
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