This past week, an article was circulating the internet stating that the Alabama House Committee passed a bill that could ban abortions in the state. As far as I know, the article was fake and this never actually happened. For a fake article, though, it sure circulated and caused plenty of confrontation.

The supposed bill defines a person as “any human being from the moment of fertilization.” The bill, if it is real, would still have to be passed by the legislature, and if it did, it would be up for voter approval. There have been similar articles claiming that several other states are considering similar bills to redefine personhood. Once news of this possible new legislation hit the Alabama public, people took to their social media sites, advocating for one side or the other.

I hold my own views about the issue, but that’s not what this article is about. I will admit that it is a bit difficult for me to separate my opinion on the topic, but I’ll let the arguments speak for themselves. Remember that the emphasis I'm placing is to point out flaws in the basic logic of individual arguments.

The proponents of both sides of the abortion issue love to call one another ignorant or uneducated. It is a pretty common insult. Here are some arguments I’ve seen that I just can’t get past. To avoid direct quotations, I’ll reword them. Here are the basic arguments I’ve seen:

“If you’re anti-abortion, then why aren’t you petitioning to stop guys from masturbating? Women should stop having periods as well; it is a waste of innocent eggs."

If you use this kind of logic to defend your stance, you may have bigger things to worry about, like your education. If you’ve learned about proper reproduction, then you’d know that neither an egg or sperm can make a baby on their own. They have to be combined for a baby to form. In other words, masturbation and menstruation are in no way the same type of things as an abortion. Until sperm fertilizes an egg, there is no baby, and therefore no real loss of life.

“A fetus isn’t a baby until it has been in the womb long enough to develop brain activity."

If brain activity is the only marker of personhood, that would mean that a person in a comatose state is no longer human. In the deepest state of a coma, electrical recordings show a flat line, which reflects a lack of brain activity. If brain activity is the only thing that makes a person a person, it would then be just as ethical to “pull the plug” so to speak, on comatose patients. It is important to note here that it is possible for comatose patients’ brain activity to ramp back up later, even after a flat line.

“An abortion is just a medical procedure. If you don’t believe in it, don’t go to the doctor or the dentist."

You need to do some research if you think getting your teeth cleaned or getting checked for a cold is anything close to an abortion. Basic medical procedures and medically invasive procedures are different types of things categorically.

The logic behind these arguments are noticeably flawed. If you're going to advocate for either side, you may want to do a little research first.