Ashley Bratcher, who stars in the movie "Unplanned," in theaters today, is speaking out in support of HB 481. The "heartbeat bill" would outlaw most abortions at the time a doctor detects a fetal heartbeat.
The issue is personal to her.
"Having just learned months ago that my life was spared on an abortion table, it definitely put a few things in perspective for me," Bratcher wrote in this letter posted by Deadline. "In Georgia, we care just as much about being pro-life as being pro-film. We don't believe in putting a price tag on the value of a human life. Our brave leaders have stepped up to say enough is enough, we will no longer sit idly by as innocent lives are taken by the thousands each day."
Her letter was posted in response to actress Alyssa Milano, who wants filmmakers to leave Georgia in response to the State Senate passing the bill.
MORE: Gabrielle Union, Alec Baldwin, Amy Schumer, Ben Stiller oppose Georgia's "heartbeat bill"
“Unplanned” is based on the book by the same name by Abby Johnson, who was a Planned Parenthood clinic director and herself had two abortions. Watching an abortion performed at 13 weeks changed her take on the procedure.
"For the briefest moment, the baby looked as if it were being wrung like a dishcloth, twirled and squeezed," she wrote in her memoir. "And then it crumpled and began disappearing into the cannula before my eyes. The last thing I saw was the tiny, perfectly formed backbone sucked into the tube, and then it was gone."
Here is the trailer:
Bratcher also appeared in the faith-based film "90 Minutes in Heaven," which filmed in and around metro Atlanta. It was based on a memoir by Don Piper, who was returning from a church conference in 1989 when his Ford Escort was struck head-on by an 18-wheeler. First responders initially declared him to be dead. He credits the power of intercessory prayer for returning him to this side of heaven.
“90 Minutes” was produced by Giving Films, founded by Atlanta entrepreneur Rick Jackson.
