A professor at the University of Notre Dame is providing abortion access to students, despite a recently-passed state law banning abortion.
Dr. Tamara Kay, a professor of global affairs and sociology at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, is one of several professors at the Catholic university offering access to abortifacient drugs and abortion services, according to a report from Notre Dame’s student newspaper, The Irish Rover.
Kay is reportedly helping students obtain abortions, despite Indiana’s state abortion ban, SB 1, which took effect in September, and the teachings of the Catholic Church, which Kay admits she is in conflict with.
Kay advertised her efforts on a poster outside her office. “This is a SAFE SPACE to get help and information on ALL Healthcare issues and access — confidentially with care and compassion,” the poster read. The poster also included her personal email address, and a capital letter “J.” The letter “J” is a symbol for several professors who are willing to assist students in accessing abortion services, the paper reported.
“We are here (as private citizens, not representatives of ND) to help you access healthcare when you need it, and we are prepared in every way,” Kay wrote in a since-deleted Twitter post. “Look for the ‘J’, Spread the word to students!”
According to The Irish Rover, the several professors help students get access to “Plan B” contraceptives, as well as “Plan C,” drugs used in medication abortions up to 11 weeks of pregnancy.
Plan B contraceptives are still legal in Indiana, but they are not provided by University Health Services. But under SB 1, medication abortions can only be conducted by a licensed physician at a hospital or surgical center; the physician must perform a physical exam, inform the patient about the drug, and the woman must take the drug in the presence of the physician, as The Daily Wire previously reported.
Kay conducted much of her advocacy on her personal Twitter account, for which she previously used the handle, “Dr. Tamara Kay — Notre Dame abortion rights expert.” But her Twitter posts facilitating abortion have since been scrubbed, and she has changed her Twitter handle to “Dr. Tamara Kay: Abortion Rights & Policy Scholar.” Her biography section also disassociates from Notre Dame.
“I don’t speak for my employer (duh!),” Kay’s bio reads. However, her page still includes posts from Abortion Finder, an abortion services directory, and the abortion advocacy group Catholics for Choice.
Kay also admitted at a panel discussion on abortion bans in September that her efforts to facilitate abortion conflict with the doctrine of the Catholic Church. “For me, abortion is a policy issue,” Kay said, via the Irish Rover. “And yes, my view runs afoul of Church teaching, but in other areas, my positions are perfectly aligned [with the Church].”
However, she claims that her actions have been cleared by Notre Dame. “Oh, I am doing that as a private citizen, so that’s been cleared by the university,” Kay told The Irish Rover. “I talked to the dean and have also spoken to ND Media about policies.”
Kay’s actions come against the backdrop of Indiana SB 1, which was signed into law by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb on August 5, and went into effect on September 15. However, the Indiana Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction Wednesday while it considers legal challenges to the law.