contraceptive pills -- after she was rushed to hospital, it is claimed.

The 17-year-old fell ill after allegedly swallowing the wrong type of pills.

Now alarm bells have sounded over giving under-18 girls pills without parental consent.

National Liberal Party spokesman Mr. Graeme Outerbridge voiced fears over the state trampling on parental rights.

And he urged Government to state its position on the issue.

"I would say 18 seems to be the obvious age when a girl can make such decisions on her own,'' said Mr. Outerbridge.

Mr. Outerbridge said he knew the Southampton parents of the teenage girl taken to hospital.

The incident, which occurred within the last two weeks, had deeply distressed them, he claimed.

"It was a pretty traumatic experience for them, and they approached me about it. They had no idea their daughter was taking the pills until they saw her in hospital.'' Mr. Outerbridge claimed the girl had received the pills from a doctor at the Government clinic in Victoria Street.

She had been taking them over the last nine months without her parent's knowledge, he added.

"Unfortunately, they were the wrong type of pills, and they jeopardised her health.'' Mr. Outerbridge believed there had been some strain between the mother and her daughter.

But when she went on the pill she was living at home, under their authority, he said.

"I am very concerned about what the policy is over giving pills without parental consent,'' Mr. Outerbridge continued.

"I don't know if there is a grey legal area which needs tightening up -- but something obviously went wrong in this particular case.

"I would be very worried if parents have less control over their children than the state. The fundamental rights of the family should always be protected.'' Government's chief medical officer Dr. John Cann explained it was policy no girl under 15 should be given birth controls save under "exceptional circumstances''.

These could include a girl being sexually active or from a "dysfunctional'' family.

"We make every effort to ensure that the child and parent are brought together on this,'' he said.

"But sometimes we have to put ourselves at odds with parents and give out birth control pills without parental consent. These cases are few and far between.'' Dr. Cann said sometimes a couple was opposed to their daughter being given birth control when she needed them.

At other times, the picture could be reversed, he added.

Parents may have to be convinced their children -- who stress they are not sexually active -- do not need pills.

Dr. Cann, while not familiar with the case outlined by Mr. Outerbridge, said he would like to know about it.

"If we have made an error in giving out pills that allegedly made the girl ill we would like to know about it, so it is not repeated,'' he said.

Health Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Earlier this month, a study by the Advertising and Publicity Association of Bermuda revealed many Bermudian teenagers and young adults regularly had sex.

Many, aged 16-25, ignored the perils of unprotected sex, believing condoms were no safeguard.

Mr. Edness labelled the findings "frightening'', and said he would be launching a new anti-AIDS initiative.

Statistics for 1990, the latest ones available, show there were 321 births out of wedlock -- compared to 644 to married couples.

But in the under-20 age bracket the ratio of births in wedlock to out was 9:73. And in the 20-24 group the ratio was 80:106.