Kate Cox, denied an abortion in Texas, to join Jill Biden as State of the Union guest

WASHINGTON ― Kate Cox, the Texas mother whose struggle to get an abortion shined a national spotlight on the state's strict abortion law, will join first lady Jill Biden as a guest at President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in March.

The Bidens spoke to Cox on the phone Sunday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, ahead of Monday's 51st anniversary of Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision that provided a constitutional right to an abortion until it was overturned in 2022.

"They thanked her for her courage, and sharing her story and speaking out about the impact of the extreme abortion ban in Texas," Jean-Pierre said, adding that Cox accepted the first lady's invitation to join her at the March 7 State of the Union before a joint session of Congress.

Cox last month was denied an emergency request for an abortion by the Texas Supreme Court despite arguing she had a fatal genetic fetal condition that posed a risk to her health and future fertility. Cox, who was in her 21st week of pregnancy, later left the state to receive an abortion legally.

More: Kate Cox did not qualify for an abortion in Texas, state Supreme Court says

The Biden campaign, bracing for an election rematch against former President Donald Trump, has used this week to try to make abortion rights a defining issue in the 2024 election. Biden held a campaign rally in Virginia, calling Trump as the man most responsible for overturning Roe through his three Supreme Court appointments.

Since Roe's collapse, a wave of abortion bans have passed in Republican-controlled states across the country. Texas, under a "trigger" law that went into effect after Roe was overturned, prohibits abortion from the moment of fertilization unless a mother's life is deemed in danger.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kate Cox to join Jill Biden as State of the Union guest