New York federal court showdown set over pregnancy pill

A federal judge in Brooklyn is set to hear arguments over whether the federal government is acting constitutionally in its decisions over the access teenage girls should have to morning-after contraceptive pills.

Federal Judge Edward Korman will hear the arguments Tuesday afternoon,a week after the federal government announced that it would block the over-the-counter sale of the anti-pregnancy drug to sexually active girls under age 17.

Korman was highly critical of the government’s handling of the issue when he ordered the Food and Drug Administration two years ago to let 17-year-olds obtain the medication. At the time,he accused the government of letting ”political considerations,delays and implausible justifications for decision-making” cloud the approval process.