I find it bizarre that the question revolves for some around a murderer’s attitude and feelings–he thought of the fetus as a child, so he was killing a child as well as a woman?
Does that mean that a killer who doesn’t believe in the basic humanity of his adult victims is less guilty?
I’m not inclined to give the murderer’s opinions on the matter any weight. This was a double killing, no matter how he thought of it. A baby in the womb at eight months is much closer, in all senses except the event of birth itself, to a born baby than it is to an embryo.