"Because of the rules in those utterly outdated and repugnant laws in Queensland, a woman needs to be able to establish that her physical or mental health are seriously in danger from continuing the pregnancy," she said.

"So she needs to find a doctor who will say her mental or physical health was in serious danger, was she to continue with the pregnancy. That is the only way an abortion can be legally performed in Queensland."

Ms Waters said those laws meant a "huge barrier" for the medical community and had a "chilling" effect on doctors, which impacted on where the procedure was available, with the vast majority of abortions, about 99 per cent, carried out in private clinics, which could cost up to $1000.

No clinics were available outside the south-east or coastal communities, which meant women in regional or rural communities in central and western Queensland had to travel for hours to access the procedure.

"There is obviously some concern that if we open that can of worms, the rights could be even further constricted and nobody wants to see that happen, but I don't think that is a valid excuse for doing nothing or saying nothing, which sadly has been the case for too long," Ms Waters said.