The first commercial to offer advice on abortion services will be screened on British TV next week, campaigners said today, provoking an enthusiastic welcome from advocates of women's sexual health, and outrage from anti-abortion groups.

The advert from Marie Stopes will be screened on Monday, offering what the organisation says will be "clear, non-judgmental information" on unplanned pregnancies and abortion services.

"Last year alone we received 350,000 calls to our 24-hour helpline," said Dana Hovig, Marie Stopes's chief executive. "Clearly there are hundreds of thousands of women who want and need sexual health information and advice, and access to services."

Marie Stopes says it aims to provide women with information rather than to promote abortion or any other choice.

But the decision to screen the advert was described as "grotesque" by Michaela Aston, a spokeswoman for the anti-abortion campaign group Life.

"I can only express utter disbelief that this is being allowed, given the opposition to abortion advertising expressed during the recent public consultation. To allow abortion providers to advertise on TV, as though they were no different from car companies or detergent manufacturers, is grotesque," she said.

The advert will be shown at 10.10pm on Channel 4 and is based around the slogan "Are you late?"

The Advertising Standards Authority said non-commercial providers of sexual health services, such as Marie Stopes, had been permitted to advertise on UK television for some time. "If viewers have concerns about the content or scheduling of the ad, the ASA is able to consider complaints once the ad has aired. However, we cannot act on objections that viewers might have about the service being advertised at all," said a spokesman.

Marie Stopes said it took the decision to screen the commercial after a study found fewer than half of UK adults knew where to go for specialist advice about an unplanned pregnancy other than their GP. It also found that 76% of adults believed adverts for services offering advice on unplanned pregnancy should be allowed on television at "appropriate times".

Darinka Aleksic, campaign co-ordinator for Abortion Rights, said the advert was an "important breakthrough" in the support services on offer to women".

But the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children said it was seeking advice over the advert's legality.