They realize that the unborn child’s status as a human cannot be denied. It is not up for debate. It is a scientific reality, and the conversation is long since settled. Instead, they try to draw a distinction between “human” and “person.” This is a dubious argument, mostly because the dictionary defines “person” this way: “a human being.”

If you really want to parse these concepts, you might say that a person is the actual self of a human being. In other words, it would be accurate to say that a dead human is still a human but not a person. Or else, the corpse is a human corpse, but it is not itself a person. Now, is an unborn human the same as a dead human? No, of course not. “Unborn” is really just a matter of development and physical location, whereas “dead” is a much more permanent and non-negotiable situation.