The Roman Catholic Church and the pro-abortion campaigners defend their postions

The payment comes under a scheme set up two years ago by Cardinal Thomas Winning, the most senior figure in the Catholic Church in Scotland, and is aimed at giving women financial support to prevent abortions.

But while pro-choice campaigners strongly criticised the Church, co-ordinators of the scheme blamed the lack of "moral guidance" in sex education for the pregancy and said they remained unrepentant.

The girl, who is half-way through the preganancy, is understood to have fallen pregnant to a boy in her class at school.

Cardinal Winning: Set up controversial scheme

Social workers and teachers urged the girl's family to go ahead with a termination in view of her age.

But her unemployed father, who lives in England, contacted the scheme's leaders and asked for financial help for his the family.

Jane Roe, Campaign Manager of the Abortion Law Reform Association, led criticism against the programme.

Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, she said that the girl could "have absolutely no idea of what it means to have a baby" and would probably has a "very distorted view of abortion".

The BBC's Andrew Cassell: "The Roman Catholic Church says it's helped around 200 women who've faced the same dilemna"

She accused the Catholic Church of having put religious principles before common sense and compassion for the girl's plight.

"Contraceptive advice is difficult to get hold of," she said.

"Young girls have a very rosy view of what a baby means and it is incredible that they cannot get the reality put clearly to them.

'Real choice'

But Josephine Quintavalle of the Pro-Life Alliance claimed the scheme offered "real choice".

Jane Row and Tom Connelly discuss the case on the BBC's Today programme

"Cardinal Winning's initiative has never been to drag people in off the streets and force them to take money," she said.

Ms Quintavalle said that by attacking the scheme, the pro-choice lobby was trying to take choice away from the girl and her parents.

"It becomes a poverty issue. Some women do not have any extra money at all and are living practically on the breadline.

"You have to get rid of the material difficulties - if people have somewhere to live and some financial support then they can make a real choice."

Scheme supports 200

The mothers of about 200 babies have been offered support since the Pro-Life initiative was set up in 1997.

But Sarah Colborne of the National Abortion campaign said: "Offering money to a child to keep her baby is bribery and removes choice.

"If Cardinal Winning was really concerned about women in poverty then he would be campaigning for more resources for them, rather than doling out used prams and a few hundred pounds here and there."

But Church spokesman Monsignor Tom Connelly said: "The furore should be over the society that pushes young people to recognise sex as a plaything."

BBC News' Alistair Jackson: Church accused of offering bribe

"The church offers real choice so the child in the womb does not suffer at all, irrespective of age or race or creed."

Monsignor Connelly said the child's identity would not be revealed, and added she would be offered advice as well as money.

And Roseann Reddy, co-ordinator of the programme, blamed the lack of moral guidance in sex education for the incidence of teenage pregnancy.