Faith leaders, under Evangelical Pastor’s Alliance, have declared that they will hold demonstrations if the ‘abortion’ bill, which is to be tabled in Parliament soon, is passed.
Addressing the media on Monday, the group asserted that they are against the bill to legalise abortion in Malawi.
Chairman of the alliance, Reverend Vincent Chiesa of Blantyre Baptist Church said that the pastors will therefore hold demonstrations as a plea to State President Lazarus Chakwera if the bill passes in parliament.
Abortion is currently illegal in Malawi and punishable by a maximum of 14 years in prison except in cases where pregnancy threatens the life of a woman.
Proponents of the Termination of Pregnancy Bill say the restriction is forcing women to seek illegal abortion services mostly from untrained personnel.
Government statistics indicate that 70,000 women in Malawi have illegal abortions each year and 17 percent of them die from the procedure.
