We’ve learned better during the 2012 legislative session to call a bill dead before it is completely gone.  Some, like the Idaho ultrasound bill, seem gone only to make one more brief appearance when they think everyone has stopped paying attention, and so require a second effort at blocking them.  Others, like the Georgia 20-week ban, appear to meet irreconcilable differences only to have a last minute “compromise” push them through to a final approval.

So we’ve been loathe to call the Pennsylvania ultrasound bill kaput, even though no one seemed anxious to bring the bill back up for a hearing.

Now, it’s really over. The mandatory ultrasound bill was pulled form the legislative calendar, making it all but impossible for it to move any further through the legislative session this year.

Much like the Idaho bill, it’s fairly likely it will come back again next year.  All we can hope is that the states will be much less hostile to women’s reproductive rights by that time.