On Thursday, the Michigan State House approved a bill that will permanently prohibit doctors from prescribing abortions via the internet or phone — otherwise known as ”telemedicine.” Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, is likely to sign it. However, backlash from Democrats, who wanted the ban lifted because it supposedly limits access to abortion for women in rural areas, shows a real lack of concern for women’s health, a narrative that has been gaining steam the last year.

This telemedicine ban should not have been controversial at all. In fact, it was merely an effort to essentially extend part of a 2012 law that was about to expire. That law required women to go to a doctor’s office to receive an abortifacient. Since abortion is medically induced, it is a procedure that requires guidelines for safety. This bill is also in keeping with the Food and Drug Administration’s ban on telemedicine. The bill passed in the state Senate two weeks ago, and 19 other states have similar bans.