HOUSTON, TEXAS – It was nearly one year ago on June 25th that Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis stood on the Senate floor in Texas and filibustered for over 11 hours to fight for late-term abortions (at 5 months). Davis donned a back brace and wore running shoes that have now become famous. Although the President of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, called Davis “a total fighter,” pro-lifers later dubbed her “Abortion Barbie.” Pro-lifers sang “Amazing Grace” while pro-abortion supporters yelled “Hail Satan!” YouTube videos of the frenzied mayhem went viral on the Internet. 

The bill required “abortion clinics to meet the same health and safety regulations as an ambulatory surgical center, require[d] a doctor providing abortions to secure admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, and lastly, require[d] a doctor to personally administer the abortion-inducing drugs to the patient.” Texas Governor Rick Perry called a special session of the legislature to allow passage of the law. Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst was criticized for his handling of Davis and the unruly crowd on the day of the filibuster. Those protesting SB5 in the special session were as unruly as those during Davis’ successful filibuster. SB 5 was signed into law by Governor Perry on July 18, 2013. Half of the Lone Star State’s abortion clinics have closed due to the passing of this law. 

Breitbart’s Ben Shapiro took notice of the “near-orgasmic attention” the liberal media gave to the Davis pro-abortion filibuster while it mocked Senator Ted Cruz for his filibuster of Obamacare. The pink sneakers Davis wore during the filibuster became an Amazon.com fashion hit. Davis raised $1.2 million in the six weeks after her filibuster. She was featured on the cover of Vogue magazine that September. 

The left-wing fact-checking site PolitiFact later claimed that “Davis opposes late-term abortions.” Yet nothing in Davis’ voting record supported the Davis campaign damage control assertion that “Like most Texans, Sen. Davis opposes late-term abortions except when the life or health of the mother is endangered, in cases of rape or incest or in the case of severe and irreversible fetal abnormalities.” Earlier this year, Breitbart’s John Sexton wrote that “Wendy Davis must be dizzy from all the spinning she’s done this week on the question of abortion.” He also called her announcement “a sign of ‘political desperation'” and “a sham.” 

A Gallup Poll released before the filibuster showed that 80 percent of Americans reject abortion in the 3rd trimester; 64 percent reject abortion in the second trimester. The same polling information found that Americans ages 18-34 are more likely than any other age group to say abortion should be illegal under all circumstances. It also found that 46 percent of those following the Kermit Gosnell case believed that the media was not devoting enough coverage to it. Dr. Gosnell, of Philadelphia, was convicted of murdering three infants who were born alive during an abortion. He was also accused of performing abortions on underage girls without the permission of their parents. 

Recent efforts by the pro-abortion camp have urged their supports to “dust off their orange,” the color worn by them during their protests of the 2013 legislative sessions. There is even a website “Paging the ‘Orange Army” which asks them to submit their Wendy Davis Filibuster Memories” on the site.A few days ago, Fight Back Texas was launched during a conference call including the ACLU of Texas, NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, Texas Research Institute, Texas Freedom Network, and Whole Woman’s Health. According to Davis’ Filibuster Anniversary Facebook page, Davis and Democrat nominee for Lt. Gov. Leticia Van de Putte are hosting an anniversary event on June 25th in Austin. According to her post, the event is “to come together and reflect on how far we’ve come this past year and the work still left before us.” The Wendy Davis campaign is giving contributors a chance to win a pair of autographed pink sneakers like the ones she wore during the filibuster. 

Follow on Lana Shadwick on Twitter @LanaShadwick2.