TUCSON, AZ — Dr. William Richardson, a board-certified OB/GYN and the Medical Director of Choices Women’s Center, has joined a major legal challenge against Arizona’s targeted restrictions on abortion providers (TRAP laws), including the state’s burdensome 24-hour waiting period and telemedicine ban on medication abortion.
In a detailed declaration filed in support of the lawsuit, Dr. Richardson outlines how Arizona’s so-called “Two-Trip” requirement forces patients to make multiple in-person visits—often at great financial and emotional cost—while delivering no medical benefit. “These laws don’t protect patients. They delay care, increase risks, and push abortion out of reach for many—especially rural, low-income, and marginalized communities,” said Dr. Richardson.
Dr. Richardson’s Tucson-based clinic, Choices Women’s Center, is one of the few independent abortion providers in the state. Approximately one-third of his patients travel from outside the city, often facing hours-long journeys, missed work, childcare challenges, and costly overnight stays—all due to laws that mandate unnecessary appointments and procedures.
“Patients come to me clear, confident, and informed about their decision,” Dr. Richardson said. “Arizona’s laws insult their intelligence, waste their time, and use me to deliver state-scripted messages that stigmatize abortion and shame patients.”
The lawsuit also challenges Arizona’s ban on providing medication abortion via telemedicine, a method proven to be safe, effective, and widely used in other states. “Telemedicine is standard for many types of care that carry greater risk than abortion,” Dr. Richardson explained. “By banning it here, the state is putting ideology over science—and politics over patient health.”
Dr. Richardson is urging the courts to block these restrictions so that Arizonans can receive timely, respectful, and evidence-based abortion care. “These laws interfere with my ability to practice medicine according to accepted standards. More importantly, they violate my patients’ rights to autonomy, dignity, and access to care.”
This case comes as Arizona voters have signaled growing support for restoring reproductive freedom and protecting abortion access in the state.