PA Ultrasound Bill on Hold in the House

Republican Leader of the State House Mike Turzai held up the ultrasound bill, HB 1077. It is wildly unpopular.

Here’s a comment from He Visto Todo that captures the disbelief: “And this idea is being encouraged by the very people who object to government getting into health care. And aren’t they also the folk who have been making such a big stink over those ‘invasive’ airport scans? They’ve managed to add another whole dimension to the meaning of the word ‘invasive’. Government seems to govern best- in the eyes of certain beholders- when it governs under the GOP brand name- Holier Than Thou.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a poll about it yesterday and 89.8% of respondents (out of 791 people) opposed. That’s saying something because, although Philadelphia is pretty liberal in general, the great majority of people who usually comment on stories about abortion are vehemently anti-abortion.

The Daily News wrote a scathing editorial opposing the bill, ending with some sword rattling: “It may seem that these laws placing new burdens on reproductive rights are new, but the assault has been going on since Republican takeovers of state legislatures in 2010 coincided with a record number of anti-choice bills in state legislatures last year. Like Virginians, Pennsylvanians should fight this craziness with public protest, social media – a check on Google shows several online petitions to sign – and the ballot box. State House members have a right to know this: Angry voters will make supporters of H.B. 1077 pay for it in November.”