One question always kept coming up in interviews, articles, and in everyday conversation in the months after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade: Will there be a national March for Life this year? With Roe overturned, some wondered if there was a need to March for Life in Washington, D.C., and perhaps doubted the strength of the pro-life movement. Many expected the size of the national march to decline in a post-Roe America due to an increased focus on the battle in individual states and waning enthusiasm.

With the national March for Life theme unveiling in October, we worked to answer that one question that loomed in everyone’s hearts, making clear the need to continue the national march while simultaneously showing the path forward for the pro-life movement . Yet even on the morning of the national March for Life, as people assembled onto the National Mall, many continued to speculate if the large and joyful pro-life crowd who had made the trek in years past would make its appearance post-Roe.

But just as one drop of water can soon become a ripple, the group of early morning arrivers had become a throng of pro-lifers, reaching across the National Mall as far as the eye could see.

Soon a massive crowd of complete strangers had come together; putting their politics and differences aside, they came without hesitation or obligation by bus, plane, and train. They spent countless hours traveling from all corners of our country to make their voices heard.

College students drove through the night and rose in the early morning to a view of our nation’s capital blanketed by a sunrise only our Creator could paint. Eager families came with grandparents and young children, and students and churchgoers arrived with joy beaming from their souls. The sunlight that day and the clear blue skies stood as another testament to the beauty of life.

From my place on the stage, the sea of people before me looked like nothing new. But the energy and passion the marchers brought was new to my heart. With the victory of overturning Roe v. Wade accomplished, marchers came not only with a passion for life but with a strong confidence that life will always win.

This year, our marchers answered that call. The momentum and energy from the national march can now be heard in our nation’s capital by those responsible for federal legislation to protect the unborn. This same passion will be carried back to our home states so that every child from sea to shining sea has a chance at life.

In these days after the national March for Life, I am feeling a tremendous amount of pride and gratitude. There is no doubt in my mind that the pro-life movement is alive and well and is more energized than ever to speak out and be a voice for our smallest citizens.

Those who questioned the need to march or were skeptical of the success of the day were not doubting an organization or a movement but rather were doubting the innate power of life itself. Life will always be the ultimate victor.

My hope is for everyone to see that in a post-Roe America, our voices will still ring with an enthusiasm and vigor that will reverberate in every heart, both born and unborn. Our work is not yet done since the tragedy of abortion still exists in our great nation. But the 50th annual March for Life stands as a testament to the strength and resilience of the pro-life movement; we are still here, and we are stronger than ever.

Jeanne Mancini is president of the March for Life.