2 Chicago doctors to be guests for State of the Union address
CHICAGO (CBS) – On the exclusive guest list for Thursday night's State of the Union address were two Chicago doctors who do important work in their community.
CBS 2 spoke to them before they took their seats to witness history.
Their schedules in Chicago have been cleared, but the two Chicago doctors had a busy day in Washington, D.C.
"On a typical Thursday, I'd probably be in some meetings and maybe looking at some new research," said Dr. Amanda Adeleye
Adeleye and Dr. Lisa Green will be guests of Congress at the State of the Union.
"I am very excited to be here," Green said.
"I am so honored that Sen. [Tammy] Duckworth reached out and wanted me to be her guest," Adeleye said. "It's the honor of a lifetime."
Dr. Adeleye, who used to work for the University of Chicago, is a reproductive endocrinologist. She said the "bread and butter" of what she does is fertility care, including invitro fertilization, or IVF.
She wrote to Duckworth, a Democrat, shortly after Alabama's Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos could be considered children under state law.
"So I was very disturbed by what was happening with the Alabama Supreme Court decision," Adeleye said.
Dr. Green is an expert on Black maternal health. U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D) gave her the invite to D.C.
"We developed the first dedicated health center for Black maternal health in her district, and we've been able to really capture the confidence of the patients in the community, network with the providers and bring resources to them that they would not have otherwise had," Green said.
Both doctors were looking forward to the president's speech and hoped his words inspire action.
"I am really looking forward to hearing from President Biden and other really showing their support for women and people's reproductive rights," Adeleye said.
Green added, "I'm hoping that we continue, that the president continues the support that he's given for health care and for community health centers."