Abortion reform in Queensland is closer to becoming a reality after the LNP party room decided to allow its MPs to exercise a conscience vote.
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The Palaszczuk government's bill would allow terminations on request up to 22 weeks, create safe access zones of 150 metres around clinics, and require doctors who conscientiously object to refer patients to another medical professional.
After a two-hour meeting, LNP leader Deb Frecklington released a statement announcing the party room had unanimously resolved that its members would be granted a conscience vote on the bill.
"It has been a longstanding position of the LNP party room that matters about the creation or ending of life are treated as matters of conscience," she said.
However, Ms Frecklington said she had carefully considered the bill and she would personally not be supporting it.
"I will be outlining the reasons why in the parliamentary debate," she said.
"Once again, I call for a respectful debate on this deeply emotional and complex issue."
LNP politicians left quietly after the party room meeting at Parliament and there was no press conference.
The government's bill was likely to need opposition votes in order to pass, as not all Labor MPs were expected to support it, while the Katter's Australian Party and One Nation's Stephen Andrew planned to vote against it.
Earlier on Tuesday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the numbers on the abortion reform vote could be very close.
"It's going to be very tough and it's going to come down to the wire ... We just don't know yet what everyone's thinking is in relation to this bill," she said.
"I think every member of Parliament should be allowed to have a conscience vote."
Labor has allowed its MPs a conscience vote on abortion.
Health Minister Steven Miles said the LNP made the right decision.
"I have asked Queensland Health to organise a confidential briefing for any member that wants one," he said.
"It is vital that the opposition leader guarantee that it will be a true conscience vote, without threat of retribution against members who choose to vote for the bill."
The LNP's decision was also welcomed by pro-choice group Children by Choice manager Daile Kelleher.
"Abortion law reform is not a partisan matter," she said.
"Regardless of where a woman lives in Queensland, or who their local MP is, their life and access to healthcare will be positively affected should this bill pass.
"We've talked to MPs from all parties in the Queensland Parliament about abortion law reform and we're hopeful that with the granting of this conscience vote, that the bill will pass."
Cherish Life commended Ms Frecklington for stating she would not be supporting the bill, with the pro-life group saying it was hopeful all LNP MPs would use their conscience vote to oppose the bill.
At the LNP state convention in July, party members voted to reject any attempts to change existing abortion legislation in Queensland, with almost every person in the room supporting the resolution, which was not binding on the parliamentary team.
Last week, a Labor-dominated parliamentary committee recommended the bill be passed and MPs be given a conscience vote.
But the LNP members, Mark McArdle and Marty Hunt, were scathing of the recommendation for a conscience vote, arguing it was outside the committee's purview.
They also questioned why abortion should be removed from the Criminal Code when the current law allowed terminations in certain circumstances, whether the gestation limit of 22 weeks was appropriate, and the lack of counselling provisions.
The current bill is the third to be introduced since 2016, with independent MP Rob Pyne withdrawing his private member's bills last year before they could be debated after it became apparent they would fail to be passed.
During that attempt to reform Queensland's abortion laws, the LNP decided it would not support either bill - despite allowing its members a conscience vote on both.
"Every single member of the LNP party room indicated that, in good conscience, they cannot support these bills," former opposition leader Tim Nicholls said in 2017.
Abortion is the only medical procedure to feature in the Queensland Criminal Code, and has sat there since 1899, but has been amended over the decades.
The abortion bill will be debated in the Queensland Parliament next week.
Queensland and NSW are the only two states in Australia where abortion remains in the criminal code.
