Disclaimer: This piece mentions sexual assault.

Dr. Caitlin Bernard, who overnight became a national figure in the abortion debate, will attend President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address to Congress on Thursday.

The Indianapolis OB/GYN will be the guest of California Rep. Judy Chu, a Democrat representing Los Angeles County.

Though White House officials have not disclosed what the president will address, many expect him to talk about reproductive rights among a host of issues like the war in Gaza and immigration.

"Patients must be able to make these personal and sometimes complicated decisions and doctors must be able to offer this care without interference from powerful people who are motivated by politics or ideology," Bernard said in a statement. "We need bold, immediate change to protect and expand access to reproductive care, and I look forward to hearing from President Biden about his plans to take this important action for patients and providers."

When is the State of the Union?How to watch the 2024 Presidential address

Bernard faced backlash for telling story of child rape victim

Shortly after the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Bernard shared with IndyStar an anecdote about providing abortion care to a 10-year-old rape victim.

Attorney General Todd Rokita, on national television, called into question Bernard's integrity and whether she properly reported the abuse. A state board later found she did. The fallout took more than a year: Bernard filed and later dropped a civil lawsuit, the Indiana Medical Licensing Board decided she violated privacy laws, and the state Supreme Court disciplined Rokita for his comments on Fox News.

Meanwhile, Indiana lawmakers passed a law banning most abortions, becoming the first in the nation to sign restrictions into law following the U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Chu said she and House Democrats stand with Bernard.

“Through their Dobbs decision, the MAGA Justices on the Supreme Court accelerated the extremist right’s march to undermine all our reproductive freedoms and implement a nationwide abortion ban," she said, "but courageous physicians like Dr. Bernard remain on the frontlines of our health care system to provide medical and abortion care to Americans who need it."

Bernard offers insight to burdens of reportative health care workers

In an opinion piece for USA TODAY, Bernard wrote that about the repercussions that reproductive health care workers face in states where women are denied care for life-threatening pregnancy complications.

Bernard wrote that doctors are forced to stand by and watch patients be denied basic health care on a daily basis. She said that the types of attacks on physicians who perform abortions in states like Missouri and Tennessee have ended in murder before. She added that while she may not be the the first post-Roe physician targeted by politicians she would not be the last.

"This moral injury weighs heavily on me every day. I am not the only physician who has faced backlash for advocating for patients and for access to health care," she wrote. "Make no mistake, the targeting of physicians who provide abortion care with both personal and professional violence and harassment is nothing new.

Bernard among several guests highlighting reproductive care

Joining Bernard are several other guests known for addressing reproductive care issues, including Kate Cox, a mother whose attempt to undergo an abortion in Texas drew national attention to the state's near-total abortion ban.

In a Wednesday press release, Senate Democrats said 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.

Biden to deliver address at 9 p.m. EST Thursday.

Biden's address is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. EST Thursday, when he is expected to discuss both domestic and international challenges.

While addressing the joint session of Congress, the Democratic frontrunner is expected propel his campaign after Super Tuesday showed the 2024 race will likely be a rematch between him and former president Donald Trump. He is expected to combat criticisms of his age and emphasize a need to beat Trump.

ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX will air the speech on network television while CNN, FOX News, MSNBC and NewsNation air on cable.

Contributing: James Powel, USA TODAY

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