Gosnell is serving life in prison but was let out at Pelosi's request to attend the event. The House Speaker stated she wanted a guest who could stand for reproductive healthcare and women's rights during Trump's speech. She called the move a "powerful statement" against those who would infringe on a woman's right to choose.
"Bringing this brave man along to the State of the Union sends a powerful message to the anti-choice bigots," Pelosi said in a press conference. "When state law forbade him from aborting late-term infants, he did so anyway. He is a strong, brave freedom fighter who was simply ahead of his time."
"We Democrats are just now catching up to him when it comes to late-term and post-birth abortion policies," she added.
Gosnell is to be seated next to Planned Parenthood's president, Leana Wen.