Thousands of people took to the streets of Istanbul yesterday to protest against the Turkish prime minister's plan to introduce a new law on abortion, a practice he has called "murder".

Women held aloft banners with slogans including "My body, my choice" and "I am a woman not a mother, don't touch my body" around Kadikoy Square.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan sparked outrage last weekend when he attacked abortion and Caesarean-section births as secret plots designed to stall Turkey's economic growth.

He said his governing AK party was preparing a draft bill on abortion, but gave no details.

About 3000 to 4000 protesters, mostly women, took part in the rally yesterday. They blew whistles and chanted "AKP, keep your hands off my body".

"It is our right to choose when to give birth or to have children at all. We will not bow to AKP fundamentalism," said Bahar Guler, holding the hand of her five-year-old daughter.

"It is a big decision to be made by the mother only, it's ridiculous for the government to have a say in this," said Nilay Askar, a 28-year-old dentist.

Abortion until the 10th week after conception has been legal in Turkey since 1983. At 14.8 abortions per 1000 women in 2008, the country trails far behind global UN figures of 28 per 1000 or 27 per 1000 in Europe.