Anti-abortion activists like to call embryos "unborn children", "innocent babies" or "developing human beings". Their obvious aim is to shame people into believing that abortion is murder. But just repeating these phrases doesn't change any facts and shouldn't change any opinions. There are clear differences between early term embryos and late term fetuses. Specifically, a fertilized egg has no nervous system and hence no consciousness. The nervous system develops gradually, over many months, and along with it consciousness develops gradually too. Until there is significant brain development, there is "nobody home": no consciousness is being destroyed.