Two Baton Rouge advocates for abortion rights will be at the State of the Union Address tonight in Washington D.C.
Kaitlyn Joshua couldn’t get care at two Baton Rouge area hospitals when she was miscarrying.
Nancy Davis was denied an abortion in Louisiana despite carrying a fetus that had a fatal condition called acrania — the absence of a skull. Davis eventually traveled to New York to receive care.
Both women’s cases garnered national headlines and they’ve since become outspoken critics of Louisiana’s near-total abortion ban.
Abortion is expected to be a key issue in President Joe Biden's address, with a number of women impacted by state bans expected to attend.
Davis was invited by Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler of New York, while Joshua was invited by The Hub Project.
Benjamin Clapper, the executive director of Louisiana Right to Life, is also expected to attend as a guest of Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy. The group helped draft the state's abortion ban and Cassidy, a Republican, has touted Clapper's anti-abortion work.
"Protecting an unborn child’s right to life is one of our most sacred obligations," Cassidy said in a statement ahead of Thursday's address.
