Conceived as the result of a brutal rape, Anne knows God 'can redeem any situation'

Anne Farrens is alive today because her mother chose life after being violently raped by a serial predator in her own home.

What was meant for evil

As the attacker grabbed Farrens’ mother by the hair and dragged her to the bedroom she shared with her husband, she thought she was going to die. She loudly praised Jesus, believing she was going to heaven and would be reunited with previously departed loved ones.

But she survived the attack — something meant for evil that God would use to bring about something she never could have imagined.

“Afterward, my mother blamed herself for not locking the door after bringing the groceries inside," Farrens explained to Live Action News. "During her examination at the hospital, she felt no compassion from medical staff who exhibited brusque and abrupt demeanor when they coldly handed her a pill to prevent pregnancy. As a devout Catholic, her faith got her through those tough times.”

The perpetrator, who had been out of prison on an unsupervised work program, was eventually apprehended. But the horror of what happened was never far from Farrens' mother’s mind.

Struggling with his own anger and confusion because of the rape, it was her own husband who sensed that his wife was pregnant when her menstrual period was late. He encouraged her to see an OB/GYN.

“When the pregnancy was confirmed, my father felt they should consider abortion because the child was not conceived in love,” Farrens said. “However, my mother was adamant that she would continue the pregnancy alone, because she would not have an abortion. But he stayed by her side, assuring her things would work out somehow.”

The married couple counseled with their parish priest; while they were uncertain before the meeting, they walked out filled with joy and excitement. For the next eight months, they looked forward to meeting their new baby.

Family members, however, weren’t certain they were making the right choice.

Farrens said, “They wondered why my parents weren’t going to place me for adoption. Why would they keep a child conceived by an encounter with a ‘monster’? But they trusted God and blessings began to unfold.”

The secret that sent her spiraling

During Farrens' childhood, she and her dad shared a special bond. She didn’t know about the circumstances surrounding her conception until she was 12 years old. Late one night when she and her mother were alone, Farrens asked why she didn’t have any younger siblings. 

“At first, my mother told me it was because my father wasn’t my biological parent,” Farrens said. “I was shocked and devastated. My mind kept trying to comprehend the news. I thought perhaps she had an affair before she married my father and that there’s a dad out there waiting to meet me.”

Then her mother revealed the truth about the rape. Though Farrens' mother assured her she was loved and wanted, Farrens was deeply shaken by the unexpected revelation.

As feelings of shame and pity surfaced, Farrens tried to tell herself this wasn’t about her, but about the trauma her mother had suffered. “While I was sad about what had happened to my mother, everything felt so surreal, like I was having an out-of-body experience,” Farrens said.

Conceived in R*pe, Loved Unconditionally

Farrens and her parents didn’t speak about the rape for 30 years. But her world had been turned upside down – a sense of security ripped away. Over the years, Farrens lost interest in activities she previously enjoyed. In high school, she stopped playing sports and her relationships with her friends and family began to suffer.

“Nobody understood what I was going through,” Farrens said. “I thought if my friends found out, they’d drop me, so I dropped them first and formed friendships with a group of misfits. I thought I was doomed because of my ‘tainted’ DNA.”

She was aware of the commonly repeated idea that “babies conceived in rape should be aborted” — a sentiment held even by those who considered themselves pro-life and who attended her Catholic school.

Life continued to spiral downward for Farrens. She became involved in an abusive relationship; at age 17, she had a suction abortion. “I felt dead inside," Farrens said. "When I had the abortion, I thought I was preventing pregnancy, not ending life. Planned Parenthood even paid for the procedure.”

In college, she got arrested a few times, spending nights in jail and abusing alcohol, yet pretending her life was fine. There came a point where she realized she was going down a treacherous path. All the while, her parents never stopped praying for her – they may not have had the tools to help her but knew God did.

“I eventually sought counseling because I couldn’t fix what was wrong with me,” Farrens said. “After my therapist learned what happened in my childhood, she affirmed that I was going to be okay. It was the first step in my healing process.”

Later, a Live Action video depicting a suction abortion helped to connect the dots for Farrens, and she then understood the atrocity of abortion.

1st Trimester Abortion | Suction Dilation and Curettage (D&C) | What is Abortion?

God’s redemption... and a new mission 

Farrens eventually married, had other children, and focused on achieving career success — still trying to prove her worth. Yet she wasn’t healed, and she still grappled with panic attacks. 

A turnaround came when Farrens' mother answered a call from Live Action to share her story about choosing life after conceiving a child in rape for the organization's "Face to Face" video series.

“When she uploaded her video to YouTube, it was the first time she ever shared her story,” Farrens said of her mother. “I decided to send in my story as well. We were both contacted by Live Action. Most of my friends had never known about my story, but now I felt empowered to tell it.”

Farrens’ eyes had been opened to the pro-life movement and to the reality of the spiritual battle regarding abortion. 

“For too long, the media has been using the rape scenario to justify abortion,” Farrens said. “Telling my story has given me new purpose. I wouldn’t change the circumstance of my conception. I didn’t understand it before, but now I see God’s hand in everything. He can redeem any situation if we trust Him.”

Since Farrens began sharing her testimony, opportunities keep flooding in for her to reach more people. She has fully accepted who she is in Christ and sees how radically changed her life is.

“God has walked with me through every step of my journey,” Farrens said. “If sharing my story helps others, then I am truly blessed, because this is my true mission.”