Cox is in the middle of a lawsuit against the state of Texas, challenging a state law preventing her from aborting her 20-week-old child, whom she claimed had Trisomy 18, a medical condition that causes structural abnormalities. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during a press briefing that the president and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden had invited Cox as a guest during the upcoming State of the Union on March 7.
“On Sunday, the President and First Lady spoke to Kate Cox, who was forced to go to court to seek permission for the care she needed for a non-viable pregnancy that threatened her life,” Jean-Pierre said. “They thanked her for her courage and sharing her story and speaking out about the extreme abortion ban in Texas. The First Lady invited her to join her as a guest at the State of the Union and Kate accepted.”
Cox was initially granted a stay of the law by a court in December but the state’s Supreme Court ruled only days later that the lower court erred in providing a temporary injunction. As a result, she later left Texas to obtain an abortion, according to The Associated Press.
The Biden administration has continued to push abortion in recent weeks as a main issue leading up to the 2024 presidential election. On Monday, the White House commemorated the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and Biden called on Congress to enshrine abortion rights into federal law, according to NBC News.
Julie Chávez Rodríguez, Biden’s campaign manager, said in June that the president’s campaign would put abortion “front and center” ahead of the November 2024 election.
“I think it’ll continue to be a really galvanizing issue, and we’ll continue to find ways to make it front and center,” Julie Chávez Rodríguez told Politico.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris also held a campaign event in Virginia Tuesday evening to tout “reproductive justice,” according to The Washington Post.
“Let’s remember, it was Donald Trump and his Supreme Court who ripped away the rights and freedoms of women in America,” Biden said to the audience. “It will be Joe Biden and Kamala D. Harris and all of you who will restore those rights.”