The private member's bill to remove abortion from the Crimes Act previously passed the lower house 59 to 31, but several conservative members oppose it in the upper house.
They've succeeded in having the upper house vote on the bill delayed.
Liberal backbencher Tanya Davies says the community and MPs haven't had enough time to consider the bill.
[Liberal MP Tanya Davies: "It is a crisis of government that we are facing because my community is absolutely outraged that they have been shut out and denied any opportunity to participate in this process."]
But Independent MP Alex Greenwich who introduced the bill, has told the ABC the draft legislation is being deliberately "delayed".
[Independent MP Alex Greenwich: "We know that opponents of the reform will be introducing hostile amendments to the bill. It's going to be important that those are opposed and that the bill passes unamended."]
