Afton Brown had recently moved back to her hometown after living out of state for several months when she met a young man with whom she had an instant attraction. When Brown discovered she was pregnant after just a few months of dating, she was uncertain where to turn.
Brown told Live Action News, “I talked to my boyfriend about it, but neither of us knew what to do or how to handle it. We were both in shock. I was just 23 years old at the time.”
She turned to a family member who had been supportive of her romance for advice. To her dismay, the relative berated her, accusing Brown of getting pregnant on purpose and telling her to ‘take care of it.’
“She was very angry and controlling towards me,” Brown said. “I couldn’t believe she would act in this manner.”
Brown called another family member who told her that an abortion would be the best solution and offered to take her to the abortion facility. “It all happened very quickly; I had no time to think about it,” Brown said. “It was very hard for me. I remember being sedated and crying. I was so distraught that my family member had to help me out of the facility afterward.”
A childhood friend was waiting for Brown outside after her abortion. That day, Brown noted, changed both of their lives forever.
“I was so traumatized that I had a hard time walking, my legs were so weak,” Brown said. “I took off work the next day and I told no one about my secret. I would keep that part of my life hidden for 15 years.”
After she returned to work, she tried to close the door to that chapter of her life and move on as best as she could. She was never in contact with her boyfriend again after the abortion and eventually started dating a man with whom she would eventually marry and build a family.
Years later, she started volunteering for a local pregnancy support center. Brown said, “It was sometime down the road that I told the director of the center that I had an abortion. I didn’t think about healing, though I did begin to open to small groups of people.”
Pro-life speaker nudges Brown toward post-abortive healing journey
In 2022, at the pregnancy support center’s annual banquet, speaker and evangelist David Williams told his experience of living a sexually immoral lifestyle and being complicit in two abortions.
“He talked about his anger issues as a result and that really resonated with me,” Brown said. “He said it didn’t occur to him that he needed healing. Hearing that, it was as if a light went off and I realized that I needed to get healing.”
READ: Book tells stories of post-abortion trauma… while oddly claiming women are empowered by it
Over the past years, Brown directed her pent-up anger against her family as a means of coping with deeply buried pain. Now, it was time to deal with that anger. She sought help from “Surrendering the Secret,” a ministry designed to help women and men heal from the grief of abortion through resources, training and connection.
Brown said, “I was encouraged to write a song or poem to the child I had lost from abortion. So, I wrote the song, ‘I Didn’t Know,’ and when I sang it to a group of ladies at the center, we all cried together.”
She recorded the song on an album and the following year, sang at the annual pregnancy support center’s banquet. She later recorded a powerful video, recently launched on YouTube, that walks though the journey of “Surrendering the Secret” and ends with her having a conversation with her daughter:
The launching of a ministry
“I entered the video into the 2025 Christian Worldview Film Festival and brought home a trophy for first place,” Brown said. “I felt God was taking me into ministry using my story for others’ benefit.”
She just produced a documentary entitled, “Beyond the Ultrasound” which focuses on her local pregnancy support center and its services to women dealing with unexpected pregnancies. Brown said, “I felt there was too much misinformation on social media regarding pregnancy support centers. So, I interviewed our director and showed behind-the-scenes videos about the many programs they offered.”
To create a safe space for men and women hurt by abortion to come together and heal, Brown launched a social media ministry she named Living UnderNeath Abortion (“LUNA”) which provides resources on Instagram and Facebook channels.
“It’s a gathering place where people can share their stories and feel the grace and love of the Father and to promote a culture of life,” Brown said. “We lift each other up and offer support to those who have experienced the horrors wrought by abortion.”
While Brown felt pressured to have her abortion, she holds only herself responsible for her choice.
“I learned to be a people pleaser at the church I attended that was more like a cult environment than Christian-based,” said Brown. “I always kept feeling I had to do better, and as such, I was easily manipulated. But I know that abortion is never the answer no matter how bad one’s situation is. There are many people who can help.”
She advises women facing unplanned pregnancies to slow down and carefully consider their options.
“Get counseling from someone who isn’t going to benefit from your abortion,” Brown said. “I have not yet met a single woman who regretted giving birth to their child — even those who placed their babies for adoption — but I have met many women who have suffered greatly from the pain of abortion.”
