By The Associated Press
The invitation list for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday speaks volumes about what Democrats and Republicans want to focus on as the 2024 election season heats up.
Biden and Democratic lawmakers have invited several health care providers and women whose lives have been impacted by stricter abortion laws in states with Republican-controlled legislatures following the landmark 2022 Supreme Court ruling that stripped away constitutional protections for abortion. First lady Jill Biden has also invited union leaders, a gun control advocate, and others that she and her husband have met as they traveled the country promoting his agenda.
Republican lawmakers are inviting guests who place heavy focus on the nation’s broken immigration system, an issue that voters say is a central concern ahead of the November election.
The guests invited to sit in the galleries for Biden’s speech also include at least a few people whom nearly everyone in hyper-partisan Washington should be able to cheer.
A look at some of those expected to be in attendance for Biden’s address and the issues they bring into focus:
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
- Kate Cox is a Texas woman who was denied an emergency abortion by the state’s Supreme Court late last year even though her health was in danger and her fetus had a fatal condition. The mother of two eventually had to go out of state for the procedure. She is a guest of Jill Biden.
- Dr. Caitlin Bernard is an Indianapolis OBGYN who came under attack in 2022 for providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim. She will be the guest of Rep. Judy Chu of California.
- Elizabeth Carr, 42, is the first person born in the U.S. via in vitro fertilization. She will be a guest of Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. He said he invited Carr to spotlight concerns after the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling last month that frozen embryos can be considered children led the state’s three major IVF providers to pause…
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