The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now approved the "morning-after" pill, Plan B, without a prescription for women aged 15 and over. Women will have to prove their age in order to purchase the birth control drug.

A month ago, a judge ordered the drug to be made available to girls of all childbearing ages, but the FDA has said its decision was not intended as a response to the court's ruling.

In a statement, the FDA asserted that the conclusion made Tuesday was due to an amended marketing plan Teva Pharmaceuticals, who makes the birth control drug. Still, the deadline to comply with a Brooklyn, New York judge's order to make the drug available over the counter to girls of childbearing age is just a few days away.

"The FDA's approval of Teva's current application for Plan B One-Step is independent of that litigation and this decision is not intended to address the judge's ruling," the FDA said in a statement.

Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said that the decision to lower the age limit "may reduce delays for some young women but it does nothing to address the significant barriers that far too many women of all ages will still find if they arrive at the drugstore without identification".

In 2011, the FDA said it had concluded the "morning after" pill could be safely used by girls of child-bearing age. However, in a move that was unprecedented-even unheard of-Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the FDA, citing a lack of  enough evidence from all potential ages to support the restriction's removal. The backlash against the Obama administration had reproductive rights groups accusing it of kowtowing to pressure from conservative lobbyists.

Plan B One-Step will now have packaging that labels the proof-of-age requirement. The packaging will also prompt cashiers to ask and verify the age of the customer. The legislation stipulates that it will be available in stores with pharmacies, but that the pill can also be sold during non-pharmacy hours.

"While we fully support this expansion of access to birth control, we continue to believe that the administration should lift all unnecessary restrictions to emergency contraception, consistent with the prevailing science and medicine," Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards said Tuesday in a statement.

The FDA decision does not pertain to the two other emergency contraceptive drugs marketed in the United States. One, the generic Plan B, is available for women 17 and older over the counter; the other, Ella, is prescription only.