Rwanda’s Protestant Council has instructed all healthcare facilities administered by members of its organization to stop performing abortions on patients who come into the facilities to get the procedure done. This latest development, which occurred earlier this month, has put a dent in the plans of women in the country who want to get access to the procedure for a variety of reasons.

Rwanda, which is a predominantly Christian society of around 13 million people, has consistently presented its conservative values in various parts of its government. In the 19th century, Christianity was introduced to Rwandan society after Catholic priests settled in the area at the height of colonialism. By the year 1920 the majority of the population was Christian. The most recent census indicated that 43.7% of Rwanda's population is Roman Catholic, 37.7% is Protestant, 11.8% is Seventh-day Adventist, 2.0% is Muslim, and 0.7% are Jehovah's Witnesses. Only 2.5% of Rwandans claim no religious affiliation.

To back its bar on abortion, the council stated that abortion is sinful, although this conflicts with Rwanda’s law which legally allows its citizens to have abortion in specific instances. Their statement, which was signed by 26 Protestant organizations, urged parents to watch over their daughters and encourage them to stay abstinent until marriage.

In a statement obtained by AP News, Laurent Mbanda, the head of the Anglican Church in Rwanda said that the belief of Chrsitians was distinctly separate from that of the law.

“For us, we have our belief, and our belief cannot be taken away by the law. We are not opposing the law,” Mbanda said. “But our belief does not allow us to support abortion.”