Here's why Democratic congresswomen wore white to Biden's State of the Union address
White outfits in SOTU
On Friday (Mar 8), US President Joe Biden delivered his third and final State of the Union (SOTU) address before the 2024 US Presidential elections. Amid the sea of audience present in the Capitol for this parliamentary custom were a number of congresswomen dressed in white. Why were they wearing outfits in this particular colour? Here's the answer.
White in a sea of colours
The white outfits served an important purpose. As per a statement released ahead of the SOTU address, the white outfits served the message of women's rights.
"Our message is clear: women must be able to access the health care they need to control their own lives and futures," said Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC) Chair Lois Frankel in the statement.
Also read |Trump, Gaza war, Putin, and more: Key takeaways from Joe Biden's State of the Union address 2024
"That means women, not politicians, should be in charge of whether, when, and how to start or grow their families. That includes access to birth control, access to abortion, and access to IVF," added the statement.
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Taking to X, formerly Twitter,Florida Rep. Kathy Castor wrote, "House Democratic women in suffragette white: We are standing up for your right to make your own health care decisions including abortion".
The outfits, as per a Time report, were a nodto the colour of the suffragette movement. Similarly, in 2019 and 2020, the white outfits were a message of solidarity. In 2019, they served as "a declaration that women will not go back on our hard-earned right (to vote)".
In 2020, white was used by the DWC to "show their unity and a commitment to defending the rights of women and disenfranchised groups".
Women's rights in America
This year's message comes at a time when women's reproductive rights have come under fire in various states, and have become a hot-button political issue across America.
Also read |Joe Biden to draw contrast with Donald Trump in his last State of the Union address in current term
After the overturning of Roe V. Wade in 2022, several states across the country have severely limited abortion rights, and the recent 'embryos are babies' row in Alabama has further raised the question of how safe are women's reproductive rights.
Protests outside Capitol
As Biden appeared before the Congress, protesters gathered outside the Capitol with the messages: "Stop funding Israel", "Biden's legacy is genocide",and "Complete ceasefire now".
As per reports, about 150 protesters gatheredon Pennsylvania Avenue, the road that connects the White House to the Capitol, ahead of the annual address, due to which Biden's motorcadetook a detour.
(With inputs from agencies)
