Thousands of mainly Christian protesters have taken to the street of two cities in Malawi to demonstrate against proposals to legalize abortion and homosexuality in the country.

The peaceful marches were organised by Catholic and evangelical churches in Malawi, where sex and homosexuality are largely taboo subjects.

“The Malawian people have sent a clear message, a message to their leaders, to the members of the Parliament: they say ‘no’ to abortion. Why are they refusing abortion? Because it is contrary to our cultural values. It is contrary to our religious values. It is anti-Malawi, anti-Christian,” said Henry Saindi Secretary General of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi.

The Malawian people have sent a clear message, a message to their leaders, to the members of the Parliament: they say 'no' to abortion.

“We joined our Christian brothers because the problems of abortion and gay marriage are of fundamental problems and the practices is prohibited in Islam. The Koran expressly prohibits abortion and gay marriages,” said Osman Kariam, Secretary General of the Quadria Muslim Association.

Among the placards they carried were signs that read, “A nation that kills its children is a nation without hope,”

Leading the protest was the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, an arm of the Roman Catholic Church, and the Evangelical Association of Malawi, an umbrella body of 122 Christian denominations.when the pregnancy results from rape, incest or defilement; and when there is severe malformation of the fetus.

Thousands Protested Against Proposed Abortion Law in Malawi —-

Via theglobengr https://t.co/UJwlOWuMgt pic.twitter.com/yfYL6J5Bx7 — Kenyan Traffic (KenyanTraffic) December 7, 2016

Proponents of the proposed new law say abortion should be allowed to prevent injury to the physical or mental health of a woman.