By Alexandra Smith
NSW will become the final state in the country to remove abortion from the Crimes Act after the contentious bill passed its last hurdle on Thursday morning.
The amended bill has placated conservative MPs, securing Premier Gladys Berejiklian's majority which was under threat after rebel MPs warned they could defect.
NSW MPs and members of the public after the passing of the bill to decriminalise abortion in NSW.Credit: James Brickwood
But in a last-ditch attempt to block the bill, 10 MLCs from the upper house have signed a protest which is being delivered by the clerk's office to the Governor on Thursday afternoon.
The MPs include One Nation's Mark Latham and Rod Roberts; Labor's Courtney Houssos, Greg Donnelly and Shaoquett Moselmane; Liberals' Matthew Mason-Cox and Lou Amato; Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Robert Borsak and Mark Banasiak and Christian Democrat Fred Nile.
The signed protest will not have any impact, but is the last way for members to register their opposition.
The lower house passed the bill on voices with no division just after 10am, ending a debate that began eight weeks ago when Sydney MP Alex Greenwich introduced it to Parliament.
The bill returned to the lower house for a final vote after a marathon session in the upper house on Wednesday night.
Ms Berejiklian was not in the chamber for the final vote.
She later said her first priority was "to focus on the job she had to do" and had "full confidence in the Parliament" to resolve the matter.
Mr Greenwich said all MPs "can feel proud that part of our legacy will be decriminalising abortion in NSW".
The final amendments, which were passed on Wednesday, were seen as critical to keeping rebel Liberal MPs Tanya Davies and Kevin Conolly on the government benches.
Sydney MP Alex Greenwich speaks during debate to decriminalise abortion in NSW.Credit: James Brickwood
Speaking after the bill passed, Mrs Davies said she would not abandon the government despite significant concerns about the bill and its process.
Mrs Davies said it was a day "of very mixed emotions". She said her main concerns were around the "extreme nature" of the original bill and a "flawed process".
Mulgoa MP Tanya Davies speaking during debate to decriminalise abortion in NSW.Credit: James Brickwood
Mr Conolly also ruled out defecting, saying he would remain in the government.
Mr Conolly said it was a "sad day for NSW" because a law had been created to allow a life to be ended.
It was the third-longest bill debated in the history of the upper house, stretching over five days with 102 amendments and 26 divisions.
Earlier, Mrs Davies told Parliament the original bill was "defective" but she believed necessary safeguards were now in place and she was prepared to support the amended bill.
"We have moved the bill to a better place," Mrs Davies told Parliament.