Feb 6 (Reuters) - An Arizona judge on Friday struck down three state laws that limited access to abortion, saying the restrictions ‌violated a right to abortion that was added to the state's constitution in 2024. 

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Gregory Como ruled the ⁠restrictions did not improve patient health, infringed on decision-making, and violated the state constitution’s guarantee of a “fundamental right to ‌abortion under Arizona law.”

The challenged laws banned the use of telemedicine for medication abortion, required patients to provide a reason for seeking an abortion, and prevented abortions due to a “genetic abnormality” in the fetus.

The laws also required every patient seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound at least 24 hours before the procedure, and required patients ⁠to wait at least a day and make a second trip to the doctor ​before getting ⁠an abortion.

All of the challenged laws were on the books before Arizona voters adopted a constitutional amendment that guaranteed the right to an abortion in November 2024.

Republican ‌state legislators had intervened in the lawsuit to defend the ‌laws. A spokesperson for Arizona Senate ​Republicans said they would appeal the ‌ruling.

The lawsuit was filed by two OB-GYN doctors and the Arizona Medical Association. One of the doctors, Paul Isaacson, said in a statement that the ruling would remove restrictions that have stood in the way of patient care.

“For the ​first time in a long time, my patients will not have ​to ⁠jump through hoops to get the care they need,” Isaacson said.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat who was elected after the ‍laws were passed, said the ruling was a victory for Arizona women, families, and their doctors.

"This ruling affirms that Arizona women have a constitutional right to access the reproductive healthcare ‌they need, without unnecessary government interference," Mayes said in a statement. "Doctors must ​be allowed to provide care based on their medical judgment, not on the beliefs of anti-abortion politicians."

(Editing by Rod Nickel and Nia Williams)