The chief medical officer (CMO), Sir Liam Donaldson, has been ordered to investigate allegations that the British Pregnancy Advisory Service counselled hundreds of women to have a late term abortion in a Spanish clinic.

The health secretary, John Reid, demanded an investigation following claims in the Sunday Telegraph that the service had acted illegally.

The newspaper also alleged that the Spanish clinic was routinely breaking the country's abortion laws, which stipulate that abortions after 22 weeks are legal only if the mother is in "grave danger".

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said Sir Liam had been asked to look at material supplied by the Sunday Telegraph, but played down the significance of the move.

"This is quite common, the CMO gets involved in lots of things like this. It is an investigation, not an inquiry, and it's just the material from the Telegraph," the spokesperson said.

The Sunday Telegraph's allegations, run eight days ago, are the latest in a spate of media heart-wringing over abortion. In July, the prime minister, Tony Blair, hinted at a rethink of the current abortion time limit, which is 24 weeks. A total of 47 MPs have signed motions calling for a review.

Ann Furedi, the chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said that the organisation had done nothing wrong and attacked the Sunday Telegraph for its "trumped-up exposé".

· A mother has demanded action from the Department of Health (DoH) to prevent doctors carrying out abortions on young girls without their parents' consent.

Sue Axon from Manchester, who has two daughters, said she would go to the high court to seek a judicial review unless the DoH does something to prevent another case like the one involving Melissa Smith. The 14-year-old had an abortion arranged by a school health worker earlier this year without her parents' knowledge.

The present guidelines advise doctors that the confidentiality of under-16s must be respected if they want to terminate a pregnancy.