Nine years after joining the university as a global affairs professor, Susan Ostermann will serve as director of the Catholic university's Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies beginning this July.
Matt Lamb, associate editor of The College Fix, says it is unfortunate because Ostermann, who has called abortion "freedom enhancing," is "in complete contradiction to the Catholic Church's teaching on the sanctity of human life."
"It's also, unfortunately, not surprising," he adds, pointing out that Notre Dame also continues to employee Tamara Kay, an academic friend of Susan Ostermann's who also supports abortion.
According to the National Catholic Register, Ostermann has described pro-life laws as "violence," "sexual abuse," and "trauma" and has linked efforts to end abortion to white supremacy.
She has stated she will not use her new role of "supporting the diverse research of our scholars and students" to advance her "personal political agenda" on what she calls "complex social and legal issues," but as a Catholic who grew up in one of the main recruiting grounds for Notre Dame students, Lamb asserts, "There are certainly a lot of concerns among Catholic families about what has happened to Notre Dame."
In the past, the university has officially affirmed the sanctity of human life "from conception to natural death," in line with Catholic Church teaching, which includes opposition to abortion, euthanasia, and certain types of embryo research. This is part of its formal policy and has been reaffirmed by university leadership.
But critics, including some Notre Dame students and Catholic commentators, argue that Notre Dame's public messaging and actions sometimes reflect only the "bare minimum" of pro-life support or do not fully promote a pro-life culture beyond basic statements.
Lamb thinks Ostermann's new position will just add to those concerns that Notre Dame has lost its mission.
