Abortion could soon be decriminalised in Queensland after the state's conservative opposition allowed its MPs to have a conscience vote on the issue.
Independent MP Rob Pyne on Tuesday introduced a private members' bill in parliament to remove abortion from the state's criminal code.
It will bring Queensland in line with other states, excluding NSW.
Mr Pyne described Queensland's current provisions as "archaic", saying they had "no place in a modern liberal democracy".
"It's about time our laws reflect modern values that trust and empower women to make decisions about their own bodies," Mr Pyne told parliament.
Both the Labor government and the Liberal National Party have indicated their MPs would be allowed a conscience vote when the issue is debated in parliament.
About 100 pro-choice activists rallied outside parliament in support of Mr Pyne's bill.
Deputy Premier Jackie Trad, who faces an ethics probe for allegedly bullying Mr Pyne, put their differences aside at the rally, telling the crowd she was "unashamedly pro-choice".
"Like Rob, I believe that abortion should not belong in the criminal code," Ms Trad said to applause.
"What a woman decides to do with her own body in consultation with her doctor does not belong in the criminal code."
She was quick to point out the bill could fail if the LNP didn't grant its MPs a conscience vote.
Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls later said the LNP wanted the laws to stay how they were, but its MPs wouldn't be bound by that position.
"Should the bill currently before the Queensland parliament be brought to a vote, there would be a conscience vote for LNP members," he said in a statement.
Olivia King from Pro Choice Queensland, one of the organisers of Tuesday's rally, said most people thought abortions were already legal.
"People almost assumed women had the right to choose what happened to their own bodies," she said.
One lone anti-abortion activist stood to the side of the rally, holding up signs that read "suction abortion", with a picture of an aborted foetus, and "Everyone has the right to life".
Cherish Life Queensland president Teresa Martin issued a statement saying: "Abortion, whenever it is done, always means the destruction of an unborn human being".
Mr Pyne admitted his bill didn't address the issue of late-term abortions, which he hoped would be discussed during the committee process.
The Abortion Law Reform (Woman's Right to Choose) Amendment Bill 2016 has been referred to parliament's health committee for consideration before a debate in parliament, expected later this year.
