During a news conference on Thursday, President Obama defended his administration’s decision to block access to emergency contraception without a prescription for women of all ages. The Justice Department this week moved to appeal a federal judge’s ruling that the “morning-after pill” be made available over the counter without age restrictions. Obama told reporters he is comfortable with the FDA’s new policy to make the “Plan B One Step” pill available without a prescription to women 15 and older.

President Obama: “I’m very supportive of contraception, because I think it’s very important that women have control over their healthcare choices and when they are starting a family. That’s their decision to make, and so we want to make sure that they have access to contraception.”

Critics say lowering the age requirement to 15 still does not go far enough toward allowing all women to prevent unwanted pregnancies.