A Nationals senator has been branded a disgrace for a controversial push to condemn the Queensland government's proposed abortion laws.
Queensland senator Barry O'Sullivan sparked a tense debate in parliament on Monday over changes to his state's abortion laws.
Under the state government's move to decriminalise abortion in Queensland, women would be able to ask to terminate pregnancies up to 22 weeks.
Independent Derryn Hinch branded Senator O'Sullivan a "disgrace" for moving a "grotesque" motion condemning the proposal.
"To see a middle-aged white man in old-fashioned braces with equally old-fashioned ideas lecturing women on what they should or shouldn't do with their bodies is disgraceful and insulting to all women," Senator Hinch told parliament.
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Senator O'Sullivan said the Queensland government's laws would legalise "abhorrent" late-term abortions.
"That's a partial birth of a child before instruments are applied to its cranium and its crushed a minute or so from birth," he said.
Australian Conservatives senator Cory Bernardi said abortions were being carried out because parents were unhappy with the gender of unborn children.
"It is murder of an unborn baby that could exist outside of the womb. It shouldn't be done on the selfish demands of an individual involved," Senator Bernardi said.
Greens senator Janet Rice said no woman took the decision to have an abortion lightly, backing Labor's efforts to block Senator O'Sullivan's move.
"The sorts of awful offensive garbage that has just been expressed in this chamber talking about women as if they are murderers is absolutely appalling," the Victorian senator said.
The motion wasn't voted on, with Labor and Greens senators teaming up to sink it before it progressed any further.
