The Notre Dame Right to Life Executive Board calls on the University to rescind the appointment of professor Susan Ostermann as the head of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. 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. 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.
In 2022, Ostermann co-authored an opinion article with Tamara Kay in the Chicago Tribune titled, “Lies about abortion have dictated our health policy.” In response to this article and its rhetoric, then-President Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C., commented, “I write to state unequivocally that their essay does not reflect the views and values of the University of Notre Dame in its tone, arguments or assertions.” Prior to Ostermann’s appointment, Fr. Jenkins felt it necessary to clarify that her stance does not reflect that of Our Lady’s University; the situation is far graver now that it has appointed her to a leadership position. Notre Dame cannot claim to maintain its Catholic identity while simultaneously promoting someone whose public advocacy is in such direct contradiction to the faith.
The claim that Ostermann’s personal beliefs will have no influence on her work as head of the Liu Institute is erroneous and naive. The work done by the Keough School of Global Affairs must be informed by the preeminent right to life and the dignity of the human person. This right must be at the crux of all University action, both from its leadership and its professors; Ostermann’s public works are contrary to this vital right and have inherently injurious consequences. This issue is neither abstract nor ideological. Notre Dame Right to Life president Anna Kelley offers a unique perspective on this matter: “As a Catholic adoptee from China, I take personal offense at this appointment. I am so blessed to have escaped the fate that Professor Ostermann’s work has inflicted on so many innocent Chinese lives. Because I have been given the gift of life, I am choosing to speak out with my own testimony to bring attention to the real-life consequences that her ideology promotes.”
Therefore, the Executive Board of Notre Dame Right to Life urgently calls upon the University to rescind the appointment of professor Susan Ostermann, effective immediately.
Notre Dame Right to Life Executive Board
Anna Kelley
Teresa Pingel
Alejandra Ricardo
Luke Woodyard
Faustina Barcena
Maria Madigan
Ava Hall
Noah Schoenfelder
Jake Struby
Feb. 3, 2026
