The Obama administration has in part lost its push to sustain age limits on over-the-counter sale of Plan B One-Step, commonly known as the morning-after pill.
After a lower court recently slapped down all age limits, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday granted the Justice Department’s request for a stay on one-pill variants of emergency contraceptives but denied it for two-pill variants, declaring that the appellants have “failed to meet the requisite standard.”
As a result, two-pill variants of the contraceptive will be made available to women and girls of all ages, instead of the 15-and-above age limit that the administration has supported.
The decision is a victory for reproductive rights advocates who have fought the White House’s efforts to limit the over-the-counter sale of the pill.
A Justice Department spokesperson didn’t immediately comment except to say, “We are reviewing the court’s order.”
