Pro-abortion professor sues Notre Dame newspaper for defamation

Tamara Kay, the University of Notre Dame professor who came under fire for promoting abortion to her students at the Catholic university, has sued a university newspaper for defamation.

Kay, a professor of global affairs and sociology, is pro-abortion and has published numerous articles promoting abortion. She filed the suit on May 22, alleging that the university newspaper, the Irish Rover, made “false and defamatory statements” about her in two articles, which were published in October 2022 and March 2023. Each revealed her pro-abortion stance and her promotion of abortion to students.

Kay believes the articles “contained false and defamatory information” and have “a motive of bad faith and a reckless disregard for truth and falsity.” She said she has been “harassed, threatened, and experienced damage to her residential property” in addition to suffering both “mentally and emotionally.”

According to The Daily Caller, which analyzed recordings of an interview the Irish Rover conducted with Kay, the articles “accurately preserved the substance of the professor’s statements and actions” with some “minor inaccuracies.”

The Irish Rover’s former editor Joseph DeReuil told The Daily Caller that “there is no merit to any of Professor Kay’s claims…”

“I am not at all worried about the result of the lawsuit. I know that everything we published is true and written in good faith, so I firmly believe that the lawsuit can only be decided in favor of the Irish Rover,” DeReuil said.

READ: Notre Dame refuses to sponsor pro-life event, hosts pro-abortion event same night

In a statement, the Irish Rover said, “Her lawsuit reflects only the latest stage in a tenured professor’s baseless public campaign against undergraduates at her own university who had the temerity to publish accurate stories about her very public abortion advocacy.”

In response to Kay’s lawsuit, the Irish Rover has filed an Anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.

The articles in question revealed that Kay had allegedly been helping students to undergo illegal abortions. It also stated that after a now-blocked pro-life law in Indiana took effect and abortion was prohibited, Kay hung up a sign on her door saying, “This is a SAFE SPACE to get help and information on ALL Healthcare issues and access — confidentially with care and compassion.”

In addition, she also allegedly posted the letter “J,” on her door. Certain professors at the university have been posting the letter on their office doors to indicate their willingness to help students undergo abortions. “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 on social media. “Look for the ‘J’, Spread the word to students!”

The professor also allegedly used her Twitter account to tell students how to get abortion pills through the mail. Her Twitter account was named “Dr. Tamara Kay — Notre Dame abortion rights expert.” Those tweets have since been removed.

Kay acknowledged that her pro-abortion activism violates the teachings of the Catholic Church, which the University of Notre Dame upholds. The university has not yet issued a response to the lawsuit.