Mum condemns pill for 13 year-olds after her daughter is left in wheelchair
Filed under: Teenagers
SWNS
A mum has spoken out for the first time about how her then 15=year-old daughter was left in a wheelchair after taking the pill.
Gemma Hill suffered a blood clot on her brain a month after taking the contraceptive.
Now her mum, Maria Murphy, has attacked calls to give the drug to 13-year-olds.
Recalling what happened to her daughter, Maria, 40, from Leicester, said: "I remember thinking, 'I thought the pill was harmless, but now my daughter is in hospital, unable to walk or talk'.
"It was heartbreaking to see Gemma like that. It's every mother's worst nightmare."
Maria spoke out after a controversial NHS review was published recommending that girls as young as 13 should be able to get the pill from their pharmacist.
Until now girls and women have only been able to go on the pill once they have undergone a consultation with a GP or nurse.
SWNS
But over the last two years, girls under the age of consent in some parts of the Isle of Wight and Manchester have been able to pop into their local chemist shops - without a doctor's prescription.
"It would be ridiculous to let girls who are just 13 years old get the Pill without seeing a doctor," Maria said. "It's crazy."
Gemma, now 17, began taking Microgynon for period pains and stomach cramps in 2009.
She suffered a second stroke in 2010 but has since learned to walk again and her speech and sight are back to normal.
Pill manufacturer Bayer HealthCare said women taking combined oral contraceptives were at slightly higher risk of blood clots and this was clearly stated in the patient information leaflet.
What do you think?
More on Parentdish: Should 13-year-olds be given the pill?
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