Outspoken Victorian Liberal MP Bernie Finn has resigned as the opposition whip, just days after making controversial anti-abortion comments on his Facebook page.
Mr Finn rankled Coalition colleagues last week after making social media posts stating he is "praying" for abortion to be banned, telling a follower he was not supportive of abortion even in the case of sexual assault.
He made the comments in the wake of the revelation that the United States Supreme Court decision underpinning abortion rights, Roe v Wade, may be overturned.
Privately, some Liberal MPs were furious with Mr Finn, who has a history of inflammatory posts.
In a Tweet, Liberal Member for Brighton James Newbury dubbed Mr Finn's views as "deeply disturbing and dangerous".
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy reportedly provided Mr Finn with an ultimatum of falling in line with the parliamentary team or leaving for the crossbench, according to The Age.
Mr Finn has been a member of Victoria's upper house for the western metropolitan region since 2006, and has held the position of opposition whip since December 2018.
The move comes ahead of a state election due to be held later this year, with the party's preselection process still on the horizon.
Minister for Women Gabrielle Williams said the Opposition needed to decide whether Mr Finn's recent comments reflected the values of the Liberal Party.
"It's time Matthew Guy showed some leadership and dealt with Mr Finn as he promised that he would last year," she said.
Ms Williams said Mr Finn's recent comments on abortion showed an "appalling" lack of respect for women, and that the resignation was a move of self-preservation.
"I think this is an example of Bernie trying to dodge a real outcome. He is trying to preserve as much of his general position as he can," she said.
"This is not Mr Finn's first transgression and it won't be the last."
