Notre Dame Professor All-Out for Abortion

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NOTRE DAME, Ind. (ChurchMilitant.com) - Recent statements from a Notre Dame sociology professor are proving the maxim: A university is only as Catholic as its faculty. 

Despite her appointment to the faculty at a Catholic university and her own claims of "faith," Tamara Kay, professor of global affairs and sociology at the Keough School of Global Affairs, is making public her support of abortion.

On Twitter, Kay identifies herself as "Dr. Tamara Kay — abortion rights and policy scholar." As of Friday, her Twitter profile also included a mocking comment about holding beliefs that weren't consistent with the university — a comment she removed over the weekend.

Kay has come a long way from her days as an expert in international trade. As recently as 2018, she was still publishing in that area; but her Notre Dame faculty profile gives cover to her recent interest in abortion, stating: "She also work [sic] on issues of global health, in particular health systems, health and culture, health and development, and reproductive health and rights." 

While her upcoming book focuses on Sesame Street, it has more to do with understanding the process of globalization than children; she has been active on campus and in the media promoting abortion.

Her 24-page curriculum vitae includes 19 references to abortion. Many of those references are to 11 items she has had published by various media outlets, most of them in the last two years.

On a few occasions, Kay has teamed up with fellow Notre Dame sociology professor Susan L. Ostermann to write op-ed pieces on abortion for Salon.

Their May piece, "Forced Pregnancy and Childbirth are Violence against Women — and Also Terrible Health Policy," got the attention of three students from Notre Dame's Right to Life chapter, who fired back in a National Review article, "Notre Dame Should Not Promote Pro-Abortion Views."

The students pointed out how Notre Dame's official PR office promoted Kay and Ostermann's op-ed.

"Notre Dame News shared the Salon article both on its Twitter page and its website," the students noted in the National Review piece. "Kay retweeted ND News' share, tagging Notre Dame's official Twitter page."

Kay has also been busy making on-campus appearances promoting abortion. Notre Dame's Gender Studies program hosted a panel in September discussing post-Roe America and invited Kay's participation. 

The Observer, an independent news outlet serving the Congregation of Holy Cross campuses in Notre Dame, Indiana, reported Kay saying, "There are a lot of women of faith who support rights to reproductive freedom and justice. It's important for those of us who are willing to speak up to speak out. Otherwise, it appears that there aren't that many of us when we're probably the majority."

Kay went on to say, her "stance on [the abortion] issue comes from a profound sense of faith and the dignity of women."

Posted on her office door was this statement of her faith in action: "This is a SAFE space to get help and information on all health care issues and access — confidentially and with care and compassion." It was recently removed.

Church Militant has reached out to Prof. Kay, asking if she is Catholic and why she changed her Twitter profile. As of publication, she has not responded but she has blocked this writer from her Twitter account.

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