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Argumentation by anecdote is fundamentally flawed

This was submitted to the Washington Post on 10/29/2011

To the Editor:

Jessica Valenti's piece on October 28 is powerful, but not entirely convincing. This is because argumentation by anecdote is fundamentally flawed.

Our postmodern society loves to sacrifice the normal on the altar of the abnormal, but the reality is that abortion is almost never necessary to save the life of the mother. This is why abortion-rights advocates try to dishonestly cloud the issue with the "health" exception – a loophole so large it can justify virtually any abortion.

Furthermore, bringing up pregnancies caused by rape is a typical "gotcha" tactic that is meant to stir emotions rather than logic. Planned Parenthood's own research firm, the Guttmacher Institute, reports that one percent of all abortions take place after a rape.

It is refreshing, however, to see abortion-rights advocates finally admitting that chemical birth control can act as abortifacient. Planned Parenthood and others have danced around that fact for years, and PP has repeatedly scrubbed it from several websites for both national and state affiliates. Now, with the Mississippi personhood amendment, they're not hiding it anymore.

We should ensure that a mother's health is protected, those crafting legislation should carefully consider that. But abortion is a terribly evil that must be eradicated.

Scott Tibbs.