I don't see how he's on a high horse of some kind. If he believes that a fetus is human life and no less human life than, say, a 2-year old child, how is his calling abortion murder any different than him calling the killing of said 2-year old murder? To see them as morally equivalent is not unreasonable nor is it uncommon, and his stubbornness on the matter is a credit to him if he truly does see it that way.