A federal court judge, who previously ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lift its age and access restrictions on the morning-after pill, denied the court order that would have stopped the restrictions from taking place, Reuters reported.

U.S. district judge Edward Korman did say the health officials have until May 13 to request an appeal at the federal appeals court based in Manhattan to stay the order.

The April 5 ruling ordered the FDA to permit girls of all ages to buy levongorgestrel-based emergency contraception, or the morning-after pill, over the counter. Korman saw right through the FDA's intention when they appealed that ruling.

"In my view, the defendants' appeal is frivolous and taken for the purposes of delay," Korman said as he addressed his decision on Friday.

Previously, the emergency contraception pill was only accessible for women ages 17 or older if they had an identification card. Then in 2005, when backers of reproductive rights filed a lawsuit to ease the restrictions, the FDA permitted accessibility, based on safety studies from Teva Pharmaceutical Ltd., to only Plan B One-Step, which is manufactured by the same pharmaceutical company.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, emergency contraceptive pills can significantly reduce risks of unwanted pregnancies among teens. They decrease the chance of pregnancy when used up to 120 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse and are most effective within the first 24 hours.