Why the White House is fighting greater access to the morning-after pill

The Justice Department is appealing a court decision that would make Plan B available to women of all ages without a prescription

The Plan B pill now has a court-approved 15-year-old age limit.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Earlier this week, the FDA announced that the morning-after pill would be available to women ages 15 and older without a prescription — down from the previous age limit of 17.

But that has hardly pleased reproductive rights advocates like Andrea Costello, who said, "The Obama administration is speaking out of both sides of its mouth when it comes to basic rights of women and girls, as shown by its political decision issued by the FDA late yesterday."

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Keith Wagstaff is a staff writer at TheWeek.com covering politics and current events. He has previously written for such publications as TIME, Details, VICE, and the Village Voice.