Pro-choice, pro-life protesters face off as MPs debate abortion bill

A bill to decriminalise abortion in NSW will go to the lower house on Tuesday and has generated passionate debate from both sides.

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Pro-choice and pro-life activists faced off in rival rallies, blocking Sydney's Macquarie St outside the NSW Parliament as MPs debate a bill to decriminalise abortion in the state.

If passed, the private member's bill would overturn 119-year-old laws making abortion a criminal offence, replacing them with a standalone health care act to regulate the procedure.

Sydney independent MP Alex Greenwich introduced the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 last week with bipartisan support and while Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazzard have thrown their support behind the draft legislation, there is still considerable opposition. 

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