NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court is permitting girls of any age to buy generic versions of emergency contraception without prescriptions while the federal government appeals a judge's ruling allowing the sales.
The brief order issued by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan on Wednesday permits two-pill versions of emergency contraception to immediately be sold without restrictions. The court refused to allow unrestricted sales of the Plan B One-Step contraception until it decides the merits of the government's appeal.
The order has been met with praise from advocates for girls' and women's rights and scorn from social conservatives and other opponents, who argue the drug's availability takes away the rights of parents of girls who could get it without their permission.
