The Christian actress, who played the lead in the pro-life film, is now using her success to impact the lives of girls facing unplanned pregnancy.
Unplanned was one of the biggest hits of this year in the faith-based genre, bringing in $19 million during its North American theatrical run. Based on a memoir of the same name, it tells the story of Abby Johnson, a former abortion clinic director who became an outspoken right-to-life advocate.
Ashley Bratcher, whose own unplanned pregnancy years ago led to the birth of her son, portrayed Johnson in the movie. After the success of Unplanned, girls in a similar predicament began to contact Bratcher via social media. In an interview with Faithwire, she says that response transformed this for her from just a normal part in a movie to something more profound.
"It's become much more than a role. It's become a ministry."
And Bratcher has risen to the challenge. Among the most pressing concerns she heard from the girls who reached out to her was that if they went through with the pregnancies, they would not be able to finish their education. Bratcher felt it was an easy problem to address, so she started a scholarship fund.
"This is a make or break decision for a young woman and I hate that. You can go to school. You can achieve your dreams. You just need a little bit of help from the people around you. And that's what the scholarship does."
Three cheers to our Christian sister, Ashley Bratcher, for using the platform God has given her to His glory! The program is called the Unplanned Movie Scholarship and it will launch in the new year. If you'd like to contribute, you can do so via this link.
We also encourage you to check out Bratcher's entire interview with Faithwire because there are lots of interesting moments in it, including how her "praying grandmas" played a critical role in her faith and a surprising insight about the pro-life camp in Hollywood...yes, there is one.