The absence of hard facts rarely puts a brake on the opinions of commentators. Last week was no exception, as they queued to pass judgment on the unnamed woman who had a termination in the sixth month of her pregnancy because her baby had a cleft palate of unknown severity.

The Rev Joanna Jepson who herself had corrective facial surgery in her teens, has won the right to launch a judicial review, challenging the decision not to prosecute a doctor over a late abortion. The reason for the termination, Jepson argues, is "an alarming example of the cult of physical perfection."

No matter what the outcome of the review, it must soon be time for an overhaul of the legislation governing abortion, not least because the day is imminent when a baby born at 24 weeks routinely survives. An inquiry might also consider why it's necessary to have the consent of two doctors and why it is so difficult in parts of the country to acquire a speedy termination in the early weeks.

In the furore over the terms and conditions under which women undergo abortion, it is almost always the late terminations that attract the headlines. Yet, in 2002, out of a total of 175,600 abortions, only 110 were carried out after 24 weeks.

Much more scandalous, controversial and rarely discussed - in spite of this country's reputation for having more teenage mothers than any in western Europe - is the lack of positive support and encouragement given to girls living in deprived circumstances, to consider an abortion when they discover they are pregnant.

Aspiration is said to be the best form of contraception. Research suggests that those who lack ambition, have poor schooling, loose family ties and low self-esteem often want to be mothers because it gives them a sense of purpose.

Others, however, slide into pregnancy because opting to have a termination requires them to accept the reality of their situation, and make a decision. Their difficulty in making a decision is further complicated by the sometimes surprisingly forceful anti-abortion views expressed by peers and relatives.

Teenage mothers rarely accumulate the qualifications that lead to a decent standard of living. Such is the hypocrisy surrounding abortion, however, that advocates who might be able to persuade a young woman that motherhood is not the best way to change her life are too often forced into silence.