Abortion has been decriminalised in NSW after a final vote in the Lower House which the Premier missed because she had to "run the state".

Key points: The bill was given the final tick of approval in the Lower House and abortion has now been removed from the Crimes Act

The bill was given the final tick of approval in the Lower House and abortion has now been removed from the Crimes Act The Catholic Church said today was a "dark day" for NSW and a "defeat for humanity"

The Catholic Church said today was a "dark day" for NSW and a "defeat for humanity" Premier Gladys Berejiklian was not in the chamber when the final vote took place

Last night the controversial bill, which has been the source of public and political debate over the past eight weeks, passed the upper house 26 votes to 14.

This paved the way for it to be reintroduced to the Lower House today.

Ms Berejiklian, who faced significant public criticism from conservative figures over the bill, was not in the chamber for the final vote.

But she later defended her absence.

"I had to run the state," she said.

She pointed out that the bill had passed on the voices and said she would have been there to cast a vote if a division was called.

"When I am required to be in the chamber I am and I had full confidence that the house would resolve it in a positive way," Ms Berejiklian said.

MPs who had voiced opposition said they were more comfortable with its amended condition and even voted in favour of it this morning.

Deep divisions in the Liberal Party have been revealed since Independent MP Alex Greenwich announced the introduction of the bill in July.

Liberal MP Tanya Davies, the strongest opponent of the bill, even plotted a leadership spill against Ms Berejiklian last week, but later backed down.

Earlier this month Ms Davies and fellow backbencher Kevin Connolly threatened to move to the crossbench if their concerns were not met, but today they said they would both remain in the Liberal Party.

"I think at the end of this process, we have achieved a better bill," Ms Davies said.

"I can confirm that I will be remaining as a member of the Government on the Government benches moving forward."

'Defeat for humanity'

Throughout the debate, conservative and religious groups attacked the Government for trying to "rush" the bill through without enough public consultation.

Ms Berejiklian intervened several times to allow more time for debate.

Federal Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce, and former prime minister Tony Abbott, were both high-profile opponents of the bill, with Mr Joyce describing it as the "slavery debate of our time".

But NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro said he was proud to be part of a Government that had decriminalised abortion.

"What we've achieved last night is historic for the state, decriminalising abortion, taking it out of criminal act and putting it in the health act where it should be, and not treating women like criminals," he said.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 27 seconds 27 s The moment abortion legislation passed NSW Parliament

The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher described it as a "dark day" for the state.

"The new abortion law is a defeat for humanity," he said.

"[It] may be the worst law passed in New South Wales in modern times, because it represents such a dramatic abdication of responsibility to protect the most vulnerable members of our community."

The Archbishop acknowledged the hundreds of protesters who maintained a vigil outside Parliament House, sometimes overnight, during the debate.

Members of the Legislative Council spent more than 50 hours whittling 102 amendments to the bill down to just nine before voting on it late last night.

"It's been a very long journey but it's also been a very important journey for a very important issue that people across NSW care about deeply," said Labor MP Penny Sharpe, who cosponsored the bill.

"This is a massive step forward for women in NSW, it's long overdue and I just want to thank everyone who has been involved in getting us here."