Nationals MP Adam Marshall will vote to decriminalise abortion in NSW, arguing he has the support of the electorate to help repeal a "discriminatory" ban that disproportionately affects rural women.
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The closest abortion clinic to his electorate is in Coffs Harbour or Newcastle, forcing his constituents to drive three or more hours to access the medical procedure.
The Member for Northern Tablelands said repealing the existing limited ban on abortion won't mean more people will get them. There are about 20,000 abortions a year in NSW.
"(Reform is) not about dramatically making something legal that's illegal, it's about providing a much better and much safer process for those terminations to be undertaken," he said.
"And that's why I'm supporting the bill, because I'm a bush MP and and I don't want women that have to terminate a pregnancy to have to travel to Coffs Harbour or Newcastle or Tweed Heads to do that because that's dangerous for them and it means they abort a pregnancy later.
"If they're going to do it I want them to be able to do it much more safely and sooner.
"And they will be able to if this bill goes through because they'll be able to access those services closer to home."
He said the electorate probably agrees with his position. He acknowledged many people do believe life starts at conception, a belief he respects but does not agree with.
Mr Marshall said he did not expect a backlash for the vote and had yet to be contacted by the Australian Christan Lobby.
"If they're going to argue about the sanctity of life and life begins at conception, they lost that argument in law in the 70s."
The bill suffered a setback on Tuesday after conservative MPs successfully lobbied for a delay to the parliamentary timetable.
Sydney independent Alex Greenwich announced debate on his private members bill had been pushed back until next week following "robust" discussions.
Mr Marshall said the bill as he understood it will mean a moderate and limited reform to the existing law, which bans abortion within the Crimes Act. A 1971 Supreme Court case, R v Wald, permits abortions if required for the health of the mother. The last prosecution under the ban was in 2006.
NSW is the last state to decriminalise abortion. Queensland did so in 2018.
The Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW has joined among others the Premier Gladys Berejiklian in giving his in-principle support for the bill, which will soon be introduced by independent MP Alex Greenwich.
The bill has fifteen co-sponsors, including senior Nationals Trevor Khan and Leslie Williams and the health minister Brad Hazzard. Adam Marshall said he expects the bill to pass the lower house within the week.
Federal Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said in March in response to questions regarding a Labor policy proposal to encourage public hospitals to provide termination services that he believes abortion is just wrong.
"I can't find a definitive line where I didn't have the right to live," he argued at the time.
"My view is that when the ultrasound goes on the fridge it really irks me from thinking that that is a person that I'm entitled to harm."
Asked if he thought it was fair that his constituents had much worse access to the service he simply responded that he had his own views that abortion is wrong, that were "like" a religion, but "not based on religion".
The Australian Christian Lobby claims the reform will give NSW laws "among the most radical in the world".
"It allows abortion right up to the moment of birth, which is barbaric and extreme," said their NSW director Kieren Jackson.
