The blurbs report all sorts of arguments both pro and con on the reproductive health debate. I am reviewing my first course in logic ( I slept through it as a freshie and got a 3.0!) If I am wrong, please correct me. What I noted in the anti side is both the bluntness and subtleness of the fallacies.

Contraception is abortion – package deal fallacy. The premise is independent of the conclusion even if tradition “says so” Also appeal to authority (if you abandon your critical thinking faculties)

Contraception leads to abortion – appeal to probability.  Because something could happen, it doesn’t mean it will happen. Also slippery slope if the argument is extended to broken marriages, infanticide etc.

The RH Bill will cause a tax rate increase – Ignoratio elenchi which is a special form of the red herring. The premise of this argument is irrelevant even when said by a Catholic bishop and it distracts us from the original premise! 

If you answer no to any of the questions then you are not for the RH bill (CFC-FFL ad)-  This is an example of the black and white dilemma! . This is often used by totalitarian regimes.

If we pass the RH bill, we lose OFW remittances!  - Ignoratio elenchi? I think.

Three-fourths of Filipino taxpayers are Catholic. It is thus unfair for the RH bill to appropriate and use their money to purchase and coercively promote and administer these artificial contraceptives which is against their conscience (Atty Jose Sison in the Philippine Star, 6 October 2008) –  Affirming the consequent. The assumption is that Catholics will have a single conscience on the matter. This is definitely false.

Foremost of these issues is the bill’s promotion of the use of artificial contraceptives. Scientific tests and actual experience in countries allowing their use have shown that some of these contraceptives ( IUD, Depo provera. Norplant, RHU 486, emergency morning after pills) directly cause abortion. (Atty Jose Sison in the Philippine Star, 6 October 2008) – unwarranted contrast  It is arguable that the following contraceptives that Atty Sison mentioned are abortifacients. But since this hasn’t been conclusively proven, contrasting these with other contraceptives (not mentioned but alluded in his opinion piece) whose properties are well established, does not make all contraceptives abortifacient.

 The RH bill will contribute to a demographic winter. – Unstated major premise. This is indeed possible under certain conditions. Now whether these conditions apply to the present context, is the premise that is unstated.

 And of course this

More solons against RH bill - bandwagon fallacy It doesn’t mean if many are against it, the merits of the bill is bad.

Next, I’ll look at those from the pro side.

Fatal error: Call to undefined function p75HasVideo() in /homepages/39/d169067170/htdocs/voices/wp-content/themes/NewFV/single-default.php on line 57