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Embattled professor told The Fix she is ‘fully committed to maintaining an environment of academic freedom where a plurality of voices can flourish’
The University of Notre Dame is defending its controversial decision to appoint a pro-abortion scholar to a leadership post, telling The College Fix the embattled professor is well-respected and also understands the institution supports the pro-life cause.
Susan 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,” Erin Blasko, assistant director of media relations, said in a prepared statement.
Regarding her moral compass, Notre Dame stated those in leadership positions serve with a clear understanding that their decision making “must be guided by and consistent with the University’s Catholic mission,” the statement read.
“Notre Dame’s commitment to upholding the inherent dignity of the human person and the sanctity of life at every stage is unwavering,” it added.
On Jan. 8, Notre Dame announced that Ostermann, an associate professor of global affairs, will serve as director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies effective July 1 — drawing heavy backlash for her support for abortion.
While Notre Dame is a Catholic institution and expected to align with the church’s strong and consistent opposition to abortion, Ostermann has a vast pro-abortion record. For instance, she co-authored an article in Salon claiming that anti-abortion movements “have their roots in white supremacy and racism” and are embedded in “misogyny.”
In another co-authored article in Salon titled “Forced pregnancy and childbirth are violence against women — and also terrible health policy,” she argued “Abortion access is freedom-enhancing” and “abortion access respects the inherent dignity of women.”
The announcement led two scholars, Robert Gimello and Diane Disierto, to resign from their membership of the Liu Institute.
Gimello, an emeritus professor whose work focuses on Buddhism, explained his decision to National Review: “Continued formal association with a unit of the University led by such a person is, for me, simply unconscionable — this regardless of whatever considerable talents and accomplishments the appointee might otherwise bring to the job.”
But in a statement to The College Fix, Ostermann said “I am fully committed to maintaining an environment of academic freedom where a plurality of voices can flourish. … 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.”
“This commitment to academic inquiry and mutual respect is deeply rooted in my appreciation for Notre Dame’s identity as a global Catholic research university,” she said, adding that she respects “Notre Dame’s institutional position on the sanctity of life at every stage.”
Some remain unconvinced, however.
Fr. Bill Miscamble, a priest at Holy Cross College, wrote a letter to the editor of The Observer, an independent newspaper at the university, that argued “Susan Ostermann’s appointment to head the Liu Institute is untenable at a Catholic university like Notre Dame.”
“Further, the lack of judgment as well as the failure to uphold Notre Dame’s Catholic mission demonstrated by those responsible for this disgraceful appointment must raise serious questions about their own suitability for the positions they presently occupy.”
The Notre Dame Right to Life Executive Board also weighed in, calling on the university to rescind the appointment since “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.”
The board also argued that Ostermann’s “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.”
Lucy Spence, a junior at Notre Dame and editor-in-chief of the Irish Rover student newspaper, told The Observer that “Women are tired of being told that their strength lies in the rejection of love.”
“Our provost, John McGreevy, announced last year that the hiring of women and minorities would become a priority equal to that of hiring Catholics.” she wrote. “Ostermann’s appointment, presumably an implementation of McGreevy’s plan, is doing nothing to aid women at Notre Dame. It is doing the opposite, promoting the saddest lie ever told to them: that their children are disposable.”
But Notre Dame’s Blasko told The Fix: “A deeply committed educator who has led study abroad programs in Mumbai, [Ostermann] 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.”
MORE: Notre Dame restores ‘Catholic mission’ to list of staff values after complaints
