It’s been one year since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision rightly restored constitutional order and Roe v. Wade was thrown into the ash heap of history where it belongs. In that time, the power to determine abortion policy was properly placed back into the hands of the people and their elected representatives, with mixed results on advancing life-affirming policies in the states.

For the pro-life movement , this past year has had euphoric highs and unexpected lows. Roe’s reversal and the cascading impact that decision had on pro-life laws across the nation were a dream come true for pro-life advocates. On the other hand, the failure of life-affirming constitutional initiatives at the ballot box even in pro-life states, such as Kentucky, was confusing and disheartening.

But despite this limited success, the pro-life movement should be hopeful for its future. Here’s why.

First, human lives are being saved from the tragedy of abortion. According to Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, 24 states have put pro-life laws in place to protect mothers and babies. These laws have saved tens of thousands of babies from abortion.

Even abortion-supporting organizations estimate in the nine months followings Roe’s reversal, at least 25,000 babies have been saved from abortion because of pro-life laws. These are unique individual souls who, by virtue of being alive, have already changed the course of history in untold ways.

Second, the majority of people believe abortion should be restricted. Despite the narrative pushed by abortion activists, polling data collected since Roe’s reversal suggest there is a national consensus to limit abortion. A recently released Gallup poll demonstrated that 64% of people favor at least some kind of restriction on abortion.

Polling has also shown that people do not embrace the extreme late-term abortion-on-demand position of the abortion lobby. The abortion industry might be able to rally its base with that messaging, but they aren’t winning a majority of the public over to that radical position.

Third, pregnancy resource centers and community-based healthcare clinics are stepping into the gap and serving women and families in more comprehensive ways than ever before. And it’s making a difference.

Pregnancy resource centers served 2 million people in 2019, according to Charlotte Lozier Institute . They provided $270 million in services at little to no cost to their clients. Together, pregnancy resource centers and community health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood abortion clinics 14 to one.

Some states, such as Florida, are allocating funding to increase the financial support of pregnancy resource centers. According to Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America , these centers offer “free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, medical exams, counseling, parenting classes, financial classes, and resources such as food, diapers, clothing, and financial assistance for housing and utilities.”

These are three solid wins for the pro-life movement that should be named and claimed. They indicate that there is a future for advancing life-affirming policies.

Hope for the future of the pro-life movement also requires learning from our losses over the last year and adjusting strategy where necessary to keep moving the ball down the field to advance the cause of life. At present, ballot initiatives are a losing strategy for the pro-life movement. We learned that the hard way last November when extreme abortion ballot measures were approved by voters and pro-life initiatives failed. The pro-life movement would do well to stay away from self-initiated efforts and instead double down on our efforts and resources to stop the abortion lobby from amending state constitutions to create a so-called right to abortion.

The next major battle in this front will be Ohio. Abortion activists must gather more than 440,000 signatures to put an amendment constitutionalizing abortion on the November ballot. Those signatures are being collected by abortion activists and verified by the state. But the vote that will likely determine whether or not the abortion ballot initiative passes will most likely take place much sooner than November.

This August, Ohio voters will be asked if they wish to heighten the voting threshold to amend their state constitution from a simple majority vote to a supermajority of 60%. The abortion lobby does not want this ballot measure to pass because it will make it even more difficult for them to amend the state constitution.

Pro-life Ohioans must turn out the vote if they want to see life-affirming laws in Ohio. Being an informed and active voter has never been more important for the pro-life movement.

The work to advance life-affirming policies across America is far from over. Still, the pro-life movement has much to be hopeful for as it looks back at successes and thinks creatively and strategically about the future.

Nicole Hunt, J.D., is a writer and life issues analyst for Focus on the Family’s Daily Citizen. She lives in Colorado with her husband and four children.