The U.S. Department of Justice will appeal a judge’s order made last month that removed all age restrictions from the over-the-counter sale of the emergency contraceptive pill.

The department’s action came a day after the FDA lowered the age required to obtain Plan B One-Step without a prescription from 17 to 15.

Three medical groups — the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine — issued a statement denouncing the appeal. The president of the AAP said: “The Justice Department’s decision defies the medical community’s consensus opinion that emergency contraception is completely safe and effective for young women of any reproductive age.”

Women’s groups also expressed dismay. “The prevention of unwanted pregnancy, particularly in adolescents, should not be obstructed by politicians,” the president of the National Organization for Women, said in an Associated Press story.

Source:New York Times