No more so than the people who talk as if it's the murder of a child feel they are speaking for the rest.
This all revolves around each person's definition of "murder" and "child". We will not all agree on either.
Child
noun: child; plural noun: children
a young human being below the age of puberty or below the legal age of majority.
synonyms: youngster, young one, little one, boy, girl; More
a son or daughter of any age.
an immature or irresponsible person.
a person who has little or no experience in a particular area.
the descendants of a family or people.
Murder
noun: murder; plural noun: murders
the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.
INFORMAL
a very difficult or unpleasant task or experience.
verb
verb: murder; 3rd person present: murders; past tense: murdered; past participle: murdered; gerund or present participle: murdering
kill (someone) unlawfully and with premeditation.
Legal definition of child:
This word has two meanings in law: (1) In the law of the domestic relations, and as to descent and distribution, it is used strictly as the correlative of “parent,” and means a son or daughter considered as in relation with the father or mother. (2) In the law of negligence, and in laws for the protection of children, etc., it is used as the CHILD 197 CHIROGRAPH opposite of “adult,” and means the young of the human species, (generally under the age of puberty,) without any reference to parentage and without distinction of sex.
Legal definitions of murder:
Murder occurs when one human being unlawfully kills another human being. See Homicide. The precise legal definition of murder varies by jurisdiction. Most states distinguish between different degrees of murder. Some other states base their murder laws on the Model Penal Code.
Common Law Murder
At common law, murder was defined as killing another human being with malice aforethought. Malice aforethought is a legal term of art, that encompasses the following types of murder:
"Intent-to-kill murder"
"Grievous-bodily-harm murder" - Killing someone in an attack intended to cause them grievous bodily harm. For example, if the defendant fatally stabbed the victim, even if the defendant only intended to wound the victim, the defendant would still be liable for murder.
"Felony-murder" - Killing someone while in the process of committing a felony. Note that at common law, there were few felonies, and all carried the death penalty. For example, at common law, robbery was a felony. So if a robber accidentally killed someone during a robbery, the robber could be executed.
"Depraved heart murder" - Killing someone in a way that demonstrates a callous disregard for the value of human life. For example, if a person intentionally fires a gun into a crowded room, and someone dies, the person could be convicted of depraved heart murder.
So, it would appear that, legally, a fetus is a child. However, since abortion IS legal, it is not technically murder by some definitions. Unless you go with the common law definition.
I agree with the legal definition, especially "the young of the human species".
I would interpret murder using the Common Law definition.
Argue away.