Justice Minister David Ford has said he intends to ask the Executive for its approval to bring forward legislation to the Assembly, despite 77% of respondents to the consultation opposing the change.
Minister Ford said he was also proposing to allow for the inclusion of a conscience clause in the legislation, but will not proceed with changes relating to pregnancy resulting from sexual crime.
The public consultation received 712 individually written responses; 579 of these opposed change, while 133 supported it.
There were 921 letters opposing change written in support of seven lobby campaigns, which the Department of Justice Northern Ireland has said may have been organised by individual churches or faith groups.
A further 23,622 petition signatures opposing change were delivered to the DOJNI.
Currently, the only exceptions to abortion laws in Northern Ireland are made to save a woman's life, or if there is a risk of permanent and serious damage to her mental or physical health.
Pro-life groups who have opposed the reforms say any change to current legislation will make the consultation exercise look like a "sham" or "gesture politics".
Dan Boucher, from the Christian pro-life charity CARE, told Premier: "Having had a public consultation and had such a very very clear response, rather than acknowledging that the department has responded by trying to dismiss it saying it's only 1.8 percent of the population."
"I don't think the votes are there actually in the Assembly to get it through. A significant number of parties are opposed to what the minister is seeking to do. We would be very hopeful that the legislation wouldn't go through."
David Ford MLA told Premier's News Hour that the consultation: "... was to take account of the range of views that were expressed, the detail in which they were expressed, the knowledge that came with those who were expressing those views.
"The calculation that Dan Boucher appeared to be doing in that interview suggested that one random signature on a postcard was somehow the equivalent of for example the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, or the Royal College of Midwives.
"I had to take account of the detailed considerations from those who come up against the particular problems of dealing with women in the tragic circumstances of being informed that they're carrying a foetus which has a fatal abnormality and with no prospect of a viable life."
Listen to Dan Boucher speaking to Premier's Des Busteed:
Listen to David Ford speaking to Premier's Hannah Tooley on the News Hour:
