A US federal judge has caused controversy after he ordered the government to make the "morning after" pill available over the counter to girls of all ages within 30 days.
Judge Edward Korman described a decision by the US health secretary to limit over-the-counter purchases of the drug to those 17 and older as "capricious".
A US government lawyer said it was considering legal options.
The New York Judge struck down the Food and Drug Administration rule requiring girls under the age of 16 to have a prescription for the pill.
He said the FDA's restriction was "arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable".
The Centre for Reproductive Rights, which brought the case, argued that there was no scientific proof that girls younger than 17 could not safely use the drug without supervision.
US social conservatives have denounced the emergency contraceptive as tantamount to abortion.
