Abortion and Immigration as US Election 'Issues' at a Glance...Reviewing Foreign Guests in Today's State of the Union Address

A woman denied an abortion, a father who lost his daughter to a gang member who entered the country illegally, a gun violence prevention activist... Looking at the list of special guests invited to U.S. President Joe Biden's final State of the Union address of his first term, the major issues of the upcoming November presidential election are clearly reflected. With a rematch between President Biden and former President Donald Trump all but confirmed, the State of the Union address on the evening of the 7th (local time), watched by tens of millions during prime time, is being seen as a preview summarizing the U.S. presidential campaign process.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to local media including The Hill, key special guests invited by the White House and Democratic lawmakers include many figures related to the 'abortion' issue. These include Kate Cox, who was denied an abortion procedure despite a fetal genetic disorder diagnosis due to Texas's law banning abortion during pregnancy; obstetrician-gynecologist Caitlin Bernard, who was attacked for performing abortion surgery on a minor who became pregnant from sexual assault; Tammy Crommenaker, who moved to Minnesota after North Dakota enacted an abortion ban; and Elizabeth Carr, the first American born through in vitro fertilization.

The abortion rights issue is one of the major topics in this year's presidential election. After the federal Supreme Court, restructured with a conservative majority during the Trump administration, overturned the 2022 Roe v. Wade ruling that recognized women's right to abortion, abortion laws vary by state. This has led to strong backlash from women and progressive voters asserting 'self-determination' in pregnancy and childbirth, and has also served as a rallying point for Democratic supporters. Abortion rights have been a sharply divisive issue between progressive and conservative camps. The large number of abortion-related figures invited to the State of the Union by the ruling party is interpreted as a strategy to actively capture progressive votes in this year's election.

According to excerpts of the State of the Union address released in advance by the White House, President Biden will mention abortion rights during his speech to Congress that night. President Biden is expected to say, "If the American people give me a Congress that supports the 'right to choose,' I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of this land." Meanwhile, former President Trump, who has been reluctant to make specific comments on abortion rights, recently hinted in a foreign media interview at the possibility of pushing for a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The Washington Post (WP) reported, "President Biden's State of the Union address will openly contrast with former President Trump on abortion."

On the other hand, the keyword of illegal immigration stands out among the special guests invited by the Republican Party. Among those invited by House Speaker Mike Johnson are Tammy Nobles, who lost her daughter to a gang member who entered the U.S. illegally; Ben Kurian, a police officer attacked by immigrants at an immigrant shelter near New York's Times Square in January; and Tien Junxu. Immigration policy is expected to be the biggest issue in this year's presidential election as illegal immigrants surge through the southern border. According to a Gallup poll released last month, about 20% of respondents who negatively evaluated President Biden's job performance cited illegal immigration as the reason. Former President Trump and the Republican Party are also pushing an administration accountability narrative by criticizing the Biden administration's border and immigration policies.

Special guests related to the hot-button issue of gun control in the U.S. were also invited to the State of the Union address. Jasmine Cazares, who lost her sister in an elementary school shooting and is now campaigning for gun violence prevention in Texas, is on the list. In the U.S., where shootings are frequent, Democrats advocating for strong gun control and Republicans emphasizing the Second Amendment clash at every election.

Additionally, Sean Fain, former president of the United Auto Workers union who officially endorsed President Biden, and Natalie King, CEO of electric vehicle charger manufacturer Dumanis Charge, are also on the invitation list. They are seen as figures representing the Biden administration's pro-labor and pro-environment policies. Also included is Steven Hadfield, a leukemia and diabetes patient who benefited from drug price reductions, regarded as a guest to highlight the achievements of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Amid the prolonged Russian invasion of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine, and Yulia Navalnaya, wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, declined President Biden's invitation. Furthermore, Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, whose country officially submitted its NATO accession documents to the U.S. State Department to become the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), will visit the Capitol as a guest of the Republican side.

President Biden's State of the Union address will begin at 9 p.m. Eastern Time (11 a.m. Korean time on the 8th). Last year's address was estimated to have been watched by more than 27 million people.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.