The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday won a temporary halt to part of a court order directing it to make emergency contraception available to girls over the counter.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said the FDA need not provide over-the-counter access to one-pill variants of emergency contraceptives while the agency appeals the April 5 order by U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in Brooklyn, New York.

However, the appeals court refused to halt the part of the order requiring access to two-pill variants, saying the FDA did not meet the standard necessary for a stay.

Korman had ordered the FDA to lift age and point-of-access limits on emergency contraception, known as the “morning-after” pill or “Plan B,” that helps prevent unwanted pregnancies.

The 2nd Circuit said it will hear the FDA’s appeal on an expedited basis.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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(Reuters)