WASHINGTON, D.C. (KXAN) — An Austin family is among more than 20 others who will join First Lady Jill Biden in her viewing box for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address Tuesday night.
According to a press release from the White House, each of the First Lady’s guests were invited by the White House because they “personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies at work for the American people.”
Amanda and Josh Zurawski were affected by Texas’ abortion laws last year.
Amanda experienced complications in her pregnancy that ultimately meant she was inevitably going to have a miscarriage.
Because of Texas’ abortion law, her doctors were unable to intervene to help her earlier because they were concerned that providing the treatment she needed would violate the Texas abortion ban, which prohibits abortion care unless a woman’s life is in danger.
The family said they had no choice but to wait until a miscarriage happened or wait until Amanda was sick enough that doctors thought she could die.
Amanda developed sepsis and said she nearly died because of the delay in receiving treatment. She continues to suffer from medical complications due to the delay, according to the release.
Amanda and Josh said they had been trying to have a baby for more than a year. They said when Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, and Texas’ abortion law went into effect last year, they never anticipated they’d be directly impacted.
Among guests are also the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year old unarmed Black man who was severely beaten by multiple police officers during a traffic stop last month in Memphis. He died three days later as a result of his injuries.
Other guests who will be in the First Lady’s viewing box include the Ambassador of Ukraine, Oksana Markarova; Bono, lead singer of U2, who is also an activist in the fight against HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty; Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker Emerita of the House Nancy Pelosi, who was violently attacked by an intruder in their home; and others.