When U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Dallas) took the stage in Grapevine at the National Right to Life convention, he praised his supporters' courage and conviction. "This is a room full of warriors," Cruz said. "This is a room full of patriots."

Cruz' speech came on the heels of a historic filibuster in the Texas Legislature that defeated what would have been one the nation's strictest abortion bills. Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) has gained worldwide fame for her 10-hour stand against Senate Bill 5, which would have effectively shut down all but five abortion clinics in Texas.

Calling on his own experience as a father, Cruz said his 2-year-old daughter Caroline would talk to her sister while she was still in the womb. He said his toddler had a greater understanding of the sanctity of life than President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

"As a 2-year-old child, Caroline [understood that] her precious baby sister was there and waiting and excited to jump into her arms," Cruz said.

Cruz devoted part of his 30-minute speech to Dr. Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortion provider who is serving life in prison for killing babies born alive at his clinic. He sharply criticized the media for not covering the story to his satisfaction and mentioned a Houston doctor accused of similar crimes.

Toward the end of his speech, Cruz compared Wendy Davis' filibuster to his stand against the U.S. drone policy. Cruz said his filibuster with Rand Paul was protesting the "arbitrary government destruction" of human life, while Davis' and Austin democrats stood together "to protect the ability to take more lives."

Cruz did not mention Texas' 500th execution, which occurred the day after Davis' abortion filibuster. Kimberly McCarthy, 52, was put to death by the state on June 26.

"If you listen to the media — well, that's your first mistake," Cruz said with a laugh. "Then those rowdy protestors were adopting the popular view, but the reality is that 62 percent of Texans oppose abortions after 20 weeks."

In closing, Cruz said that winning hearts and minds was more important than winning elections, and he urged his supporters to explain their pro-life beliefs "not in anger, but in love."

"There is nothing we do that's more important than helping people understand that every child — every little girl and every little boy — is God's creation and deserves to be protected," Cruz said.