The morning-after pill for emergency contraception was first approved by the FDA way back in 1999. Since then, activists have been fighting with two administrations to allow over-the-counter sales to women and teenagers. Now, after a long legal fight, the agency has agreed. We put together a timeline to recap the saga.

Under the proposal, teenagers below 15 would now need a prescription to purchase the morning-after pill. That age was previously 17. The plan would also allow the product to be sold on retail shelves, rather than behind the pharmacy counters, with age to be verified by cashiers rather than pharmacy staff.

The long battle for federal approval of Plan B emergency contraception appears to be over. But broader access to the medicine may not reduce the number of unintended pregnancies by much.

Three years ago, the Catholic Health Association, whose members run hospitals and nursing homes across the country, backed passage of the federal health law. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which represents the hierarchy of the church, opposed it. The groups remain divided over the law's requirement for most employer-based health insurance plans to provide women with contraceptives.