Mr Joyce recently launched a petition calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the legislation and has already gathered close to 18,000 signatures.

The federal MP's claim the legislation would result in an increase in late-term abortions was recently rubbished by the state's former director of public prosecutions.

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Nicholas Cowdery said it was "totally false" and "alarmist" to suggest the bill allowed unrestricted abortions up until birth.

Mr Joyce fired back in Tamworth on Wednesday.

"I have read the legislation, it is not proscribed, that it outlaws late term abortions for a healthy child, it just is not there," he said.

"It says it allows it on the premise of social and psychological reasons.

"I think we have to acknowledge at a certain term in a child's life they have rights."

However, he didn't proffer a point in pregnancy when the child gains those rights.

The bill is being debated in the state parliament and has conditions laid out for terminations sought after 22 weeks.

These conditions include a practitioner's consideration of the "physical, psychological and social circumstance" of the person and consultation with another practitioner.

But Mr Joyce firmly believed the child's rights were not being acknowledged.

"They develop rights, otherwise we will have the ridiculous situation that a child, the day before it is born, can be terminated," he said.

"I don't think that is the view of some sort of crazy religious fanatic.

"That is the view of people generally."

When asked if he supported the decriminalisation of abortion and the rights of the mother generally, he said there were a "bell-curve" of views on the issue.

"It becomes quite evident there is not one person but there is definitely two," he said.

"At that point, we have to talk about the rights of the other person.

"I think we have to have legislation that doesn't reflect an individual's views, but reflects the logic of clear observation.

"If you go to an ultrasound, to see a baby, it's in human form, it's healthy, it's got to have rights."

Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson launched a survey on the bill in order to be informed by the electorate on what position he would take into parliament.

"I will be carefully considering my position, as well as discussing it with my electorate before I cast my vote in Parliament," he said.

The bill was co-sponsored by 15 NSW MPs from all sides of politics, including current health minister Brad Hazzard.

In launching the bill, the working group of MPs said, "Members who represent various political parties and communities across NSW have come together to ensure women in NSW can get access to safe and legal abortions, and that doctors have the legal certainty they have long asked for."

The Australian Medical Association also raised concerns the bill risked being derailed by unfounded fear-mongering.

"The aim of the bill was always to keep things for doctors and patients as they are now, with the only major difference being that abortion would be free of the stigma of being on the Crimes Act," its statement said.

"As it stands, the bill achieves that, and the unfounded horror stories and attempts by people who oppose it, to make it sound as though it would create a radically different framework are absolutely wrong.

"In the vast majority of cases, abortions after 22 weeks arise due to a significant abnormality in the foetus."

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