Independent Frankston MP Geoff Shaw has announced that he plans to take a two-week study trip to the United States to examine abortion laws in several states.

The trip comes after Mr Shaw revealed that he will push to overhaul existing abortion laws with his private members bill, which he plans to introduce in November.

According to a report in The Age, Mr Shaw hopes to learn how other states deal with abortion before he introduces his bill.

The proposed bill would demand that doctors resuscitate babies who survive abortion attempts as well as banning gender selection, which Mr Shaw says is anti-women because most aborted babies are female.

The trip will include stops in Nevada, Georgia, Ohio, New York and California on his trip, and will be funded with taxpayer money and Mr Shaw’s personal funds.

The report reveals that Mr Shaw will pay for meals, accommodation and internal flights while the government will subsidise overseas flights.

“As an independent I’ve got to be looking at legislation,” Mr Shaw told The Age. “Every state is different. Some are pro-life. In Ohio, for example, they suggest life starts when a doctor hears a heart beat. Others suggest life begins at conception.”

Mr Shaw, who is a devout Christian, has made headlines for his abortion stance before due to his controversial comments comparing babies to “snake eggs”.

“Here in Australia we can’t kill snake eggs but we are quite happy to kill an egg in the tummy and it should be the safest place for a baby to be,” Mr Shaw told The Herald Sun.