What to know about Kate Cox: Biden State of the Union guest to spotlight abortion bans

As President Joe Biden is set to address Congress and the nation during the State of the Union Thursday, invited guests provide insight on the major themes of the speech.

Kate Cox, the Texas mother whose attempt to undergo an abortion in Texas drew national attention to the state's near total abortion ban triggered by the overturn of Roe v. Wade, will attend the address as a symbol of the fight over abortion care access.

Cox was denied an abortion by the Texas State Supreme Court after a "trigger law" went into effect and the court found that the burden of potential harm was not met in her case.

Cox will be a guest of first lady Jill Biden and her presence will provide the opportunity for president Biden to draw sharp contrasts with the Republican position on abortion.

Here's what you need to know about Kate Cox.

Cox denied abortion in Texas

Cox had been to the hospital multiple times during her pregnancy where doctors diagnosed her fetus with trisomy 18 — a condition that kills more than 5% of fetuses in the womb, according to the Cleveland Clinic

On Dec. 5, Cox sought emergency permission for abortion care in Travis County District Court. The District Court granted permission but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the case to the state's supreme court.

Texas law prohibits abortions beginning at fertilization, with exceptions being granted for patients whose pregnancies could result in death or "substantial impairment of major bodily function."

"The statute requires that judgment be a 'reasonable medical' judgment, and Dr. (Damla) Karsan has not asserted that her 'good faith belief' about Ms. Cox’s condition meets that standard," the court ruled.

Cox was the first woman to ask the state for an abortion since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022. She left the state to undergo the procedure.

Senators inviting guests to highlight reproductive care

Senate Democrats said in a Wednesday press release that multiple members of the caucus will invite guests to focus attention on various reproductive care issues that the Roe overturn created.

Invitees include:

• Chuck Schumer (Majority Leader-NY): Kate Farley, a woman who required in-vitro fertilization to conceive a child due to a rare chromosomal condition.
• Patty Murray (WA): Kayla Smith, an Idaho woman who traveled to Seattle to get an early induction of labor.
• Tammy Duckworth (IL): Amanda Adeleye, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist and the Medical Director for CCRM Fertility’s Chicago-area clinics.
• Tina Smith (MN): Tammi Kromenaker, Clinic Director of Red River Women’s Clinic in Moorhead, Minnesota. The clinic was formerly located in North Dakota but moved after Roe was overturned.
• Tim Kaine (VA): Elizabeth Carr, the first person in the United States born via in-vitro fertilization.
• Cory Booker (NJ):Roshni Kamta, a reproductive care activist.
• Brian Schatz (HI): Olivia Manayan, OBGYN chief resident at the University of Hawai‘i.

Abortion in the election

Biden will look to make abortion access a key issue and strong contrast between himself and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

The president pinned the blame for the step-back in abortion access squarely on Trump in a January campaign rally in Virginia.

The Bidens called Cox ahead of the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade in January to offer the invitation.

"They thanked her for her courage and sharing her story and speaking out about the impact of the extreme abortion ban in Texas," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at the time.