Violations of Argumentation Standards in Contemporary Debates on Health and Reproductive Rights

Abstract

This article presents an exercise in prebunking, a preventive strategy based on inoculation theory (McGuire, 1964), aimed at enhancing cognitive resistance to misinformation. The analysis examines a set of arguments articulated from prejudicial and false information circulating in the debate on the inclusion of trans people in the field of reproductive health and rights. Through an assessment of their underlying premises, logical coherence, and empirical support, it is revealed that, while some of these arguments may be formally valid, their soundness and relevance in the context of reproductive and gender justice are questionable. By exposing readers to misleading arguments concerning the inclusion of trans people in the realm of reproductive health and rights, we seek to generate “cognitive antibodies” that will enable them to identify and reject these discourses. In this way, we seek to cognitively equip individuals who encounter such arguments and to promote better informed and empathetic debates about the inclusion of trans people in the struggle for reproductive justice.