Melissa had asked a school health worker for advice and decided to go ahead with the termination. She took two abortion pills before changing her mind, but it was too late. Her mother found out through a school friend of Melissa's.
Under the Gillick ruling of 1985, girls under 16 are judged on whether they are suitable by two doctors who must assess whether she is mature enough to understand her decision.
Jan Barlow, chief executive of sexual health charity Brook, said: "If a woman under 16 is considered competent to consent to medical treatment, she can consent to an abortion. However, it is only in extreme situations that abortions would be performed without any parental involvement."
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