To begin with, belief is irrelevant if it does not control behavior.  A rapist might believe that what he is doing is wrong, but that means nothing to his victim.  Likewise, today it is not unheard of for abortion clinic workers to say that they believe abortion is wrong.  Of course, that belief is little comfort to the baby whose head is being ripped off. 

Second, prayer is not intended to be a substitute for action.  Imagine that a five-year-old girl has been hit by a car and is possibly dying in the street.  As Christians, we believe that God has the power to reach down from Heaven and instantly heal her.  But does that mean we shouldn’t call an ambulance or take any other action on her behalf?  Should we just stand around and pray? 

Obviously, not even the most sincere believer in the power of prayer would suggest such a thing.  So the question becomes, if we believe that the unborn has the same right to life as the born, why are we so willing to say that all we will do to save their lives is pray for them?  How can we justify one standard for protecting the unborn but a different one for protecting our own born children, while claiming that both have the same right to life? 

That double standard is hypocritical, cowardly, and inconsistent with the pro-life principle.  While prayer must always remain a central part of the pro-life effort, it must not be used as an excuse for inaction.