Jill Biden’s Sotu Guest List Includes Alabama Couple Impacted By Ivf Ruling

An Alabama couple whose embryo transfer was canceled after the state’s Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos are children will join first lady Jill Biden in her viewing box at the president’s State of the Union address Thursday night, the White House said.

Latorya Beasley and her husband are among the first lady’s 20 invited guests who “personify issues or themes to be addressed by the president in his speech,” the White House said in a statement. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will also join the group.

Also on the guest list: Kate Cox, the Texas woman who sought permission from the Texas Supreme Court to have an abortion and ultimately left the state for the procedure. Texas has one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country.

Additional White House guests include Bettie Mae Fikes, a singer and civil rights activist; Justin Phillips, the founder and CEO of Overdose Lifeline, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness on the opioid and fentanyl crisis; Jazmin Cazares, a gun violence prevention advocate whose sister died in the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, Texas; and the Swedish prime minister, among others.

Also set to attend the address are thetwo NYPD officers attacked by migrants in Times Square in late January, who were invited by Republican Reps. Anthony D’Esposito and Nicole Malliotakis. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries extended an invite to Kevin Meggett of Black Veterans for Social Justice. Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, declined a White House invitation, citing a scheduling conflict.

President Joe Biden is set to deliver the State of the Union address at 9 p.m. Eastern Thursday.