I thought of this idea at the end of November, 2004, and it stuck with me long enough to put it on the internet, where google will cache it and I will be immortal!
What I propose is that another fallacy be added to the pantheon of logical fallacies - The “Won't someone please think of the children!?” fallacy.
I am often irritated by people in the newspaper, on the radio, on the tv, in casual conversation and so on who justify their opinion(s) by stating that A is bad because A is bad for the children. There is a fallacy called Appeal to Authority, which is explained in this way:
“While sometimes it may be appropriate to cite an authority to support a point, often it is not. In particular, an appeal to authority is inappropriate if:
(i) the person is not qualified to have an expert opinion on the subject,
(ii) experts in the field disagree on this issue.
(iii) the authority was making a joke, drunk, or otherwise not being serious
I think that crying foul because of the children is the opposite of an appeal to authority, it is an appeal to ignorance.