As the Republican Party and conservatives continue to grapple with the impact of the Supreme Court ’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on the politics of abortion , one thing must be remembered: The lives saved were worth it.

According to data estimates from the #WeCount project of the Society of Family Planning, based on the declines in abortions in states with pro-life laws and the increases in abortions in other states, at least 32,260 fewer abortions were performed in the first six months after the Dobbs decision. It is likely that this is even an underestimate, meaning that overturning Roe v. Wade and allowing states to restrict abortion likely saved even more lives than that.

Democrats warned of a national backlash in the 2022 midterm elections over the decision, and Republicans certainly did underperform. Abortion was indeed a factor in some swing states, but in many of those states (such as Pennsylvania and New Hampshire), the GOP’s poor candidate quality also played a role. Nationally, abortion did not make as big of an impact as was predicted, and Republicans still managed to take control of the House of Representatives from Democrats.

It is also notable that Republicans have botched several post-Roe decisions on abortion policy, with some states moving too far too fast in their attempts to make up ground for years of the Supreme Court strengthening pro-abortion activists. Many Republicans were not prepared for the possibility of actually being able to legislate on abortion, nor do they want to do the work of building a pro-life culture to ensure that pro-abortion backlash doesn’t flare up.

Has the effect of abortion on various races been overblown? Probably. Has it still helped Democrats boost enthusiasm in some races? Certainly. Have some Republicans botched post-Roe plans? Undoubtedly.

And yet, the Dobbs decision and the state laws in place restricting abortion that were allowed to be passed and enforced have saved at least 32,260 lives that otherwise would have been snuffed out and discarded in Planned Parenthood waste baskets in just six months. Over 32,000 babies were allowed to live. That is a victory that Republicans and conservatives should not lose sight of.

There is plenty more work to do on this issue, and Republicans cannot afford to stumble their way through misguided abortion policies that would empower Democrats to come to power and pass their more extreme policies. But the incompetence of the Republican Party does not diminish the accomplishment of saving the lives of unborn children. Whether Republicans get their act together or not, all of those lives were worth saving.