Abortionistas and Their Fallacies

Planned Parenthood's marching orders have gone out, and their media shock troops are spinning as fast as they can. An example of the many fallacies being deployed is the strawman fallacy of Amanda Marcotte. She is pretending to refute one argument while actually refuting an argument that has never been made. Take special note of the quotation marks around the word "outraged." This is done to imply that the feeling is contrived, and illegitimate.

I really do wish, now, that everyone who is “outraged” at Planned Parenthood takes a vow never to use medicine developed from this research.

— Amanda Marcotte (@AmandaMarcotte) July 17, 2015

This is the moral equivalent of defending the atrocities of Josef Mengele on the grounds that his experiments on twins, or pregnant women, or dwarves, have advanced medical science.

Jessica Valenti admits to having had two abortions. She says that it is understandable that people would be horrified upon watching the Planned Parenthood video, because "the reality of medical procedures are not pleasant." "Abortion is a medical procedure," she explains, and "abortion is one of the most common medical procedures in the country."

This is a compositional fallacy, and implies that we shouldn't be squeamish about simple medical procedures. As if crushing the skull of a fetus is somehow comparable to a tonsillectomy. It is true that all abortions are "medical procedures," but not all medical procedures are equal. Performing a lethal injection on a pet or a condemned human being is also a "medical procedure."

Valenti acknowledges that sanitizing the language is an important way to keep the abortion mills operating. "Abortion providers...are aware that public perception has a very real impact on keeping abortion safe and legal."

Yet another fallacy is deployed by Lena Dunham. Two fallacies in one! Labeling Center for Medical Progress as extremist is ad hominem and calls into question the partiality of the organization.

Who's attacking Planned Parenthood? An extreme (and extremely discredited) anti-abortion group. Consider the source and #StandWithPP!

— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) July 17, 2015

This defense is very common. Jezebel writes that "Group behind Planned Parenthood video may have lied to the IRS." RH Reality Check asserts that "Co-Founder Behind Planned Parenthood Video Has Close Ties to Abortion Clinic Violence." And Media Matters weighs in with it's own tu quoque fallacy, tweeting that "right-wing media and GOP candidates cash in on doctored Planned Parenthood video outrage." Even Media Matters knows that the full, uncut video was released at the same time.

Nowhere in any of these arguments is any acknowledgement of the core issue for conservatives, the sancity of human life, and the wasted potential, discarded as casually as baby romaine lettuce.