In the year after abortion was legalized, only 1,544 women north of the Border underwent a termination. 

Yesterday the Scottish Catholic Church blamed government attitudes to sex education. 

Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Scottish Catholic Church, said: "These figures are staggering, but not surprising. 

"The increase in teenager abortion coincides exactly with increasing use of explicit and graphic sex education materials in Scottish schools, and the introduction an approach to sex education which is completely devoid of morality. 

"Sadly the conventional orthodoxy in health and education circles is to see sexual activity, not as part of a life-long commitment, but as a social activity." 

Last June Cardinal Keith O'Brien leader of Scotland's Catholics compared the UK wide abortion rate to "two Dunblane massacres a day", in a sermon marking the anniversary of the 1967 Abortion Act. 

Mr Kearney added: "This massive life of life across Scotland is staggering, and just shows that an immediate change in the law is more necessary than ever. 

"We would urge the Scottish Government to make available funding for agencies like the Cardinal Winning Prolife Initiative in Glasgow, which provides support and counselling to teenagers in a crisis pregnancies." 

Ms Scanlon added: "The pain of having an abortion is a traumatic experience for any woman, never mind a young girl. 

"Not only is teenage pregnancy a huge issue in Scotland but unprotected sex brings other serious problems, such is the increase in sexually-transmitted diseases." 

Yesterday is emerged nearly 250,000 tests were carried out for the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia in 2006. 

The highest proportions of samples testing positive were in women aged 15 to 19 and men aged 15 to 24. 

But fewer than half of tests taken were carried out on the under 25s, even though this age group accounts for most of the cases of the infection. 

Experts said it underlined the need for more testing to be carried out in this age group. 

Figures from NHS statisticians showed that 226,528 chlamydia tests were carried out in 2006, an increase of 1.7 per cent on the previous year’s 222,709. 

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Reducing unintended teenage pregnancy in girls under 16 is a key aim of Respect and Responsibility, Scotland's National Sexual Health Strategy. 

"Our Strategy contains a specific recommendation for each NHS Board to ensure women have access to appropriate termination of pregnancy services which are in line with the guidelines produced by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 

"Women don’t always have information on different types of contraception available to them."