Pro-Life Speaker Toni McFadden Talks Life, Love, and Faith at Agape Latte

Pro-life speaker and founder of Relationships Matter Toni McFadden came to campus to share the story of her life: venturing from a young adult in a non-Christian family, to a passionate born-again Christian. 

Addressing the topics of relationships, sexual intimacy, and the differentiation between love and lustful passion during the Agape Latte speaker series, McFadden opened up about the most painful times in her life. Surrounded by family and friends encouraging her to engage in pre-marital intimacy, she began her dating life in high school and soon became pregnant. 

With little trust for those in her life, McFadden shared her secret with only her best friend and the child’s father. Both urged her to end the pregnancy. With no advice from anyone else, she followed through with the abortion. 

“Not all girls feel the regret right away,” she said. “I regretted it immediately.” 

After the abortion, McFadden’s boyfriend left her, multiplying her pain. But her journey wasn’t over, and though it would yet contain difficult times, it would not end in sorrow. 

When she entered college, she was invited to a Christian group where she felt God pulling at her heart. She gained new friends, learned the value of love and the bonding purposes of sexual intimacy, and discovered the faith that now leads her life. 

“My faith became the means by which I saw all of life.” 

After waiting years for a suitable husband and questioning whether she would ever find one, McFadden crossed paths with her former boyfriend whom had left her after her abortion. He had become a new man. They both quickly realized that God had brought them back together. Today, they are happily married with children and both have complete faith in God and trust in each other. 

Having experienced a long and often painful journey of struggle in the arenas of relationships, love, and sex, McFadden now shares her story of hard-learned lessons in hopes that young adults such as those at DeSales might avoid making the same mistakes she did.