Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) will give the Republican response to President Biden's State of the Union address next week, two sources familiar with the GOP's plan tell Axios.

Why it matters: Britt, who was elected in 2022, was cast into the spotlight after coming out out against the Alabama Supreme Court's recent ruling that frozen embryos should be considered children.

• The court's decision led in-vitro fertilization clinics in Alabama to close, fearing criminal prosecution.
• Republicans who favor such fertility procedures have struggled to find a coherent message to address the blowback from the Alabama decision, which was rooted in another court ruling they favored: the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of abortion rights under Roe v. Wade.

Zoom in: Reproductive rights are a key issue in the 2024 election, and Democrats say the Alabama ruling shows that the abortion restrictions Republicans have pushed are leading to unpopular limits of Americans' freedom.

• The GOP response to Biden's speech on March 7 is a key opportunity for the party to rebuke the president's most high-profile address of the year — an especially important task in an election year.