The Obama administration may have dropped age restrictions against the purchase of emergency contraceptives, but it is unlikely you will see morning-after pills behind the counter for quite some time.
"The federal government has come back to the judge handling the case with an offer that he may or may not approve," according to a NBC News blog. "For another, it will take the company that makes the product a while to re-apply to for approval and re-package the pills in a way appropriate for selling out in the aisle."
Some conservatives were outraged by the administration backing down from the case.
"We feel like they had a very good stance on the issue and that they were sticking by their guns, which was to protect young girls and also parental rights," said Anne Higgins, head of the Family Research Council's Center for Human Dignity, according to Latinos Post. "So the fact that they're throwing in the towel now just shows that they are caving to some political pressure.
However, reproductive rights groups and medical groups rejoiced over the decision.
"This is a huge breakthrough for access to birth control and a historic moment for women's health and equity," said President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Cecile Richards, in a statement.
According to reports, the FDA believed women of all ages should be able to get emergency contraception. Many medical studies reportedly have shown that the morning-after pill is a safe, effective way to prevent pregnancy. However, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the FDA in 2011.
The pill is currently only made available with ID to girls aged either 15 or 17, depending on the product, with ID. Anyone younger than 15-years-old or without ID needs a doctor's prescription for the emergency contraception.
Though it may not be available for girls right away, doctors urge young women to practice safe sex to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
"For pediatricians, the science has always been clear: Emergency contraception is a safe, effective tool to prevent unintended pregnancy in adolescents of any reproductive age. Today, we are pleased that justice sided with science," told AAP president Dr. Thomas McInerny to NBC News. "Since nearly 80 percent of pregnancies in adolescents are unintended, allowing unrestricted access to emergency contraception products is a historic step forward in protecting the health of our patients who are sexually active."
