Wendy Davis' Daughters Defend Mother in Open Letter

An "abortion barbie" who abandons her children? Yeah, we didn't think so.

By Liana Satenstein

Jan 29, 2014

Texas Senator Wendy Davis' daughters are coming to to their mother's defense after an article in The Dallas News was published, highlighting inaccuracies about Davis' life story, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Davis first entered the public eye when she held an 11-hour filibuster to protest Texas abortion laws. Her personal life story was nothing short of remarkable. Davis claimed that she was a single mother at 19, who lived in a trailer, and went on to attend Harvard Law. Yet, an article in The Dallas News tells otherwise, highlighting facts that Davis only separated from her first husband at 19, and then divorced him at 21, while her second husband Jeff Davis paid for her time at Harvard Law and also took care of her two children while she was studying in Cambridge.

Since the publication, Davis has been the brunt of criticism. She has been slammed for abandoning her children to go pursue her education, while one Fox News pundit and Conservative blogger Erick Erickson, who has called Davis "Abortion Barbie," in the past (pleasant), wrote on RedState.com that Democrats had "conjured up Wendy Davis from Fairy Tale Land."

Davis' daughters came to their mother's defense in two open letters, highlighting the struggles the Senator had to go through and how she was present in their lives.

Dru, Wendy Davis' younger daughter, recalls how their mother was there for her from parent teacher conferences, to being her Brownie Troops leader, to emotionally supporting her throughout college. Amber, the older daughter, directly speaks out against critics' claims of her mother's abandonment, "I have recently heard the phrase 'abandoned' quite often in the past week. That our mother "left us to be raised by our father" while she went on to pursue her education. Not only is this ridiculously unfair; it's completely untrue."

In response to the inaccuracies to her life story, Davis responded to the Morning News by saying that her "language should be tighter," and that "I need to be more focused on the detail." Fair enough.

Nonetheless, Davis' story is remarkable and does follow the same theme and general idea — so there's no need for the amount of (sexist) criticism that ensues. As for her daughters' response? It's sad that they have to defend their mother in such a manner — it seems as though men are never targeted as much as Davis has been in regards to her parenting.

More from Marie Claire:

How Does The Texas Abortion Debate Affect Women In Texas? We Asked an Expert

Woman Wins Historical Tennis Match, Gets Asked Sexist Interview Question

Time Magazine's Yawwwn-Worthy Yet Questionable Magazine Cover

Help Up Use Social Media to Redefine Beauty

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below