diff --git a/core/modules/comment/comment.pages.inc b/core/modules/comment/comment.pages.inc
index bac078b3ec7590b04ae8122c4507bd3e11958bef..0832eff0157d4c758c6d13443a3f9326c9ac2f94 100644
--- a/core/modules/comment/comment.pages.inc
+++ b/core/modules/comment/comment.pages.inc
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ function comment_reply(Node $node, $pid = NULL) {
       if (user_access('access comments')) {
         // Load the parent comment.
         $comment = comment_load($pid);
-        if ($comment->status = COMMENT_PUBLISHED) {
+        if ($comment->status == COMMENT_PUBLISHED) {
           // If that comment exists, make sure that the current comment and the
           // parent comment both belong to the same parent node.
           if ($comment->nid != $node->nid) {
diff --git a/core/modules/comment/comment.test b/core/modules/comment/comment.test
index a791b2d599dce5d9e1cbc3bfeedb1cb0e6f1513c..1ede06328f65a1654e1cdc9db3e9b7c5e550f78b 100644
--- a/core/modules/comment/comment.test
+++ b/core/modules/comment/comment.test
@@ -123,6 +123,12 @@ class CommentInterfaceTest extends CommentTestBase {
     $this->assertTrue($this->commentExists($reply, TRUE), t('Page two exists. %s'));
     $this->setCommentsPerPage(50);
 
+    // Attempt to reply to an unpublished comment.
+    $reply_loaded->status = COMMENT_NOT_PUBLISHED;
+    $reply_loaded->save();
+    $this->drupalGet('comment/reply/' . $this->node->nid . '/' . $reply_loaded->cid);
+    $this->assertText(t('The comment you are replying to does not exist.'), 'Replying to an unpublished comment');
+
     // Attempt to post to node with comments disabled.
     $this->node = $this->drupalCreateNode(array('type' => 'article', 'promote' => 1, 'comment' => COMMENT_NODE_HIDDEN));
     $this->assertTrue($this->node, t('Article node created.'));