The Obama administration lifted its opposition to a ruling granting greater access to emergency contraception, moving the Plan B pill out from behind the counter and making it available to all females, minors included.
In April, federal judge ruled to make the pill more easily accessible, the Department of Justice appealed the ruling, asking to postpone the judge’s ruling until the appeals court rendered a final judgment on Aug. 14.
Previously, the two-pill version of Plan B was only available without a prescription to women over the age of 17.
In 2011, the administration had said that they did not want Plan B to be sold to girls 16 and under over the counter.
On June 5, a federal appeals court in New York went on to rule that certain emergency contraceptives to be made available for women of all ages without a prescription. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that the federal government lifts all age and sales restrictions for the two-pill version of the Plan B “morning after” pill, one of the most popular on the market.
Reproductive rights groups praised the administration’s decision.
“By making emergency contraception available to women of all ages, the FDA is taking an important step to reduce unintended pregnancies and put women in control of their futures,” president of NARAL Pro-Choice America Ilyse Hogue said in a statement.