Emotion and intellect

More than once, for example, when someone holds the position that abductees should not be returned, they ask him: And what if it were your son? Then he says: If it were my son, I would do everything to return him. Is this legitimate in terms of intellectual honesty? That is, is it legitimate/acceptable to hold a position based on an intellectual belief and good arguments, but to change it when it comes to my child (when emotions and feelings arise). Is it okay to introduce an emotional argument (my child) into the equation into the intellectual arguments and the emotional argument will prevail because it is part of who I am (my emotions and my child) even though if it were another child I would say otherwise?