Democrats Plan To Put Abortion Front And Center At Biden’s State Of The Union

Democrats plan to put reproductive freedom front and center at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Thursday night.

Over 30 Democrats, as well as First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, are bringing guests who are involved in the reproductive rights movement in some way. The guests range from people impacted by abortion bans to OB-GYNs and abortion providers, as well as pro-choice advocates working at national nonprofits. Several Democrats also invited patients and providers in the fertility care space to spotlight in vitro fertilization after the Alabama Supreme Court ruling which granted embryos the same legal status as children.

Members of the House Democratic Women’s Caucus announced they will be wearing white to Thursday’s address, as well as pins that read “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom.”

The president, a practicing Catholic, has made it clear that he’s “ not big on abortion ” ― leaving many abortion rights supporters frustrated that the administration isn’t doing enough since the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade. Biden has made restoring Roe a central part of his reelection campaign, but the way he discusses abortion often leaves pro-choice advocates wanting more. In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Biden said he’s “never been supportive of, you know, ‘It’s my body, I can do what I want with it.’”

Most other Democrats are not as hesitant to showcase the issue on Thursday.

“It really is a chance to bring the voices of all the women, of all the doctors, of all the families that have been affected by this loss of personal freedom, by this loss of access to health care, to the corridors of Congress,” House Whip Katherine Clark (Mass.), who has openly discussed her own miscarriage story , told