"This bill, I believe, is one such catalyst with the capacity to reduce the number of terminations in Queensland," she said. "A decision to terminate a pregnancy is not taken lightly or without great angst. "Isn't it time we placed our faith and trust in our women, the doctors looking after their wellbeing and the safeguards in our clinical practice, procedures and policies?" Greens member for Maiwar Michael Berkman on Tuesday said he would support the bill. So far, 28 Labor MPs, two LNP MPs, one independent and one Greens MP indicated their support for reform, while 31 LNP and three Katter's Australian Party MPs appeared likely to vote against it, according to an analysis by Fairfax Media of comments made during the debate.

LNP member for Chatsworth Steve Minnikin became the first member of the opposition to openly support the government's bill. "Why in 2018 do we not give women the respect to make their own reproductive choices and decisions about their own body, health and future?" Mr Minnikin said in a passionate speech. Mr Minnikin said in many areas of health care law, people could not be forced against their will to donate their blood, tissues or organs - even if they were dead - unless they had given their written consent. "If we as a society start saying that a fetus has the right to life that overrides the pregnant woman's right to give or deny consent, and by law forces women to continue pregnancies against their will and against their consent, then effectively we'd be giving a fetus more rights than an actual person," he said.

"We would be giving pregnant women more rights than a corpse." Mr Minnikin was also joined by former LNP leader Tim Nicholls who said he would vote for the bill. "I do not support abortion. I do support women and their right to control their own reproductive health," Mr Nicholls said. "The current law is bad." The intentions of three additional LNP MPs were unclear. Some MPs may abstain from the vote.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad, who has long campaigned for abortion reform, told reporters she believed there was strong support for change. "But there are still quite a number of MPs yet to speak and yet to declare their position," she said. LNP member for Caloundra Mark McArdle, who will move amendments including lowering the gestation limit from 22 weeks to 16 weeks, took aim at "repulsive" lobbying from both sides of the debate, including those who sent "shocking" images and emails. "The images hardened my resolve not to be swayed one way or the other in relation to the bill," he said. "I will vote in regard this bill in relation to my conscience, I will not accept the gratuitous advice of those who seem to have the opinion that I should vote in a certain set manner.

"I accept that this is an emotional bill but ... some parties on both sides of the debate need to reflect on their behaviour and tactics." KAP Queensland leader Robbie Katter said he believed the bill ran a "very dark risk" of allowing disabled people to be "wiped out of the gene pool". "I'm confused why we spend so much time in the house enhancing the safety of Queenslanders to preserve life and here we're legislating to make it easy to terminate life," he said. Mr Katter said the KAP would not vote for the amendment to lower the gestation limit to 16 weeks because the party did not want to compromise on the issue. LNP member for Oodgeroo Mark Robinson, who began his speech by congratulating Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on their baby news, said several decades ago he believed abortion was solely a health issue and was a simple procedure but his view had changed.