State of the Union 2024 guests include reproductive rights leaders, imprisoned reporter's parents

President Joe Biden will deliver his annual State of the Union address Thursday at 9. p.m. EST.

The Democratic frontrunner is expected to discuss both domestic and international challenges as well as use the platform to boost his campaign for reelection. Biden will most likely be facing a rematch against former president Donald Trump, after he won a majority of the Republican primary races and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley dropped out of the race Wednesday.

White House officials have not disclosed topics the speech will entail, but many expect Biden to address issues including reproductive rights, immigration and the crisis in Gaza with the joint session at Congress

With the general election approaching in November, Democrat and Republican officials will bring guests that highlight these subjects at the address. Here are some of guests scheduled to appear at the event.

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Abortion rights figures, auto workers union among Jill Biden guests

Joining first lady Jill Biden in the House gallery are IVF patients, recipients of student loan debt forgiveness and advocates for gun violence prevention.

Among these guests are Texas mother Kate Cox, whose attempt to undergo an abortion raised awareness to the state's near total abortion ban that swiftly followed the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The Texas State Supreme Court denied her abortion when the "trigger law" went into effect after finding her case did not meet the burden of potential harm.

United Auto Workers union president Shawn Fain, who successfully headed the union's demands for better wages, benefits and job protections, will also be present. In January, Fain endorsed Biden adding that he earned the support of the UAW and thanked him for calling Trump "a scab" who "doesn't care about the American worker."

Mike Johnson to bring family of imprisoned reporter and slain troops

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who will be seated behind Biden during the address, will also bring guests to emphasize how "America’s state of the union is sadly in decline." Johnson's guest list includes the parents of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich who is currently imprisoned in Russia.

"There will be a wide chasm between the picture of America President Biden attempts to paint tonight and the reality our country is facing," Johnson said in a statement. "While America's state of the union is sadly in decline, these individuals remind us of America's greatness, even in the face of such challenging circumstances."

The speaker's other guests include family members of service members who were killed in 2021 during the U.S. withdrawal of troops in Afghanistan and relatives of an American being held hostage by Hamas.

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See other guests at State of the Union address

White House guests at the State of the Union include:

• Sweden Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson: the leader of the European nation that formally joining the NATO Alliance after clearing Hungary's opposition.

• Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis: Governor of the Gila River Indian Community who has partnered with the Biden-Harris Administration to revolutionize the development of Tribal governmental infrastructure.

• Caitlin Bernard: The Indianapolis OB/GYN who who highlighted the burdens reproductive health physicians face in states where women are denied care for life-threatening pregnancy complications.

• Latorya Beasley: Birmingham woman whose attempt at having a second child through IVF was abruptly canceled after the Alabama Supreme Court decision.

• Tammy Duckworth: Amanda Adeleye, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist and the Medical Director for CCRM Fertility’s Chicago-area clinics

• Kris Blackley: an oncology nurse and Director of Patient Navigation for the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute

• Jazmin Cazares: A gun violence prevention whose sister was killed in Ulvade during the mass shooting at the Robb Elementary shooting in 2022.

• Bettie Mae Fikes: The American singer and civil rights advocate also known as "The Voice of Selma" who appeared ahead of the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday massacre in Selma, Alabama.

• Steven Hadfield: A patient with rare blood cancer who was able to afford treatment with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and Medicare.

• Kameryn Pupunu: A police officer for the county of Maui who lost four family members last year during the deadly wildfires and saved 15 people when his hometown of Lahaina was destroyed.

Find the full list and more background on each guest here.

Speaker Johnson's guests to the State of the Union address include:

• Janet Durig: The executive director of the Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center, who Johnson's statement says was "one of the hundreds of pro-life centers or churches targeted and vandalized in 2022."

• Ketsia, Miriam, and Caleb Corbett: The children of Ryan Corbett, an American hostage of the Taliban since August 2022 following the U.S. withdrawal of troops in 2021.

• Kristina Gill: The wife of former Trump Administration official Michael Gill, who was fatally shot in his car on Jan. 29 in Washington D.C.

• Riley Gaines: A former University of Kentucky swimmer and advocate for women’s single-sex spaces and opponent of transgender athlete participation in single-gender sports.

• Stefanie Turner: The mother of 19 year-old Tucker Roe who died of fentanyl poisoning. Turner has launched Texas Against Fentanyl aimed at ending the toll the drug has taken on American families.

• Talia Khan: Jewish graduate student, member of the MIT Israel Alliance and advocate who brought attention to rising antisemitism on college campuses.

• Enes Freedom: An 11-year NBA veteran had a bounty placed on him by the Turkish government after being critical of Communist and repressive regimes.

• Tammy Nobles: The mother of Kayla Hamilton, a 20-year-old young adult with autism who was murdered by an MS-13 gang member who entered the U.S. illegally with an arrest history for previous gang activity. Nobles is currently suing the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services.

Find the full list and more background on each guest here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: State of the Union guests 2024: IVF patients, Hamas hostages attending