Florida's "ultrasound" abortion bill is neither unique nor out of the mainstream of state policies around the country, a Sunshine State News analysis shows.

Surveys by the Guttmacher Institute, a liberal-leaning think tank that "advances sexual and reproductive health worldwide through research, policy analysis and public education," reveal that several states have moved to make the ultrasound technology part of their abortion laws.

Eight states -- Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah and Wisconsin -- require verbal counseling or written materials to include information on accessing ultrasound services.

Eight states -- Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio and South Carolina --  require that a woman be provided with the opportunity to view an ultrasound image if her provider performs the procedure as part of the preparation for an abortion.

Three states -- North Dakota, South Dakota and Utah -- mandate that an abortion provider perform an ultrasound on each woman seeking an abortion,
and require the provider to offer the woman the opportunity to view the image.

House Bill 1143, which passed the Florida Legislature along largely partisan lines, brings the Sunshine State into alignment with these state policies on ultrasound services.

Former Sen. Daniel Webster, initial sponsor of the legislation, said he was pleased to see lawmakers act this year on the ultrasound provision.

"In 2008, the bill died in a tie vote on the Senate floor. This year, I am glad it has passed, and hope to see it signed into law," said Webster, a Republican who is currently campaigning for a seat in Congress.

Opponents have derided the measure, saying the ultrasound requirement would increase the cost of an abortion by up to 30 percent.

For years, states have been wary of using public money to pay for abortions. Thirty-three states -- including Florida -- had adopted strict abortion funding limitations. Four state legislatures decided to fund elective abortions and 13 states were subjected to court rulings obliging them to fund abortions for lower-income residents with state tax dollars.