Topics for Persuasive Speeches
Arguing Either Side of an Issue
Doctor-assisted suicide should (or should not) be legal.
Spammers—people who bombard Internet users with unsolicited e-mail—should (or should not) be allowed to send their junk mail.
Every automobile driver should (or should not) be required to take a new driver's test every three years.
Electroshock treatment is (or is not) a humane form of therapy.
Every student should (or should not) be required to learn a foreign language.
Solar power is (or is not) a viable alternate energy source.
Drug addicts should (or should not) be put in hospitals for medical treatment instead of in prisons for punishment.
American workers should (or should not) be guaranteed a three-day weekend by law.
All health professionals should (or should not) be tested annually for HIV infection and AIDS.
Self-proclaimed "militias" should (or should not) be closely monitored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Assault weapons should (or should not) be outlawed.
All owners of firearms should (or should not) be required to register their weapons with the police.
A two-week waiting period should (or should not) be required for anyone attempting to purchase a firearm.
The death penalty for murderers should (or should not) be abolished.
The death penalty should (or should not) be imposed on juveniles.
Drug dealers convicted of distributing large quantities of drugs should (or should not) receive the death penalty.
The U.S. military should (or should not) be used to curb drug smuggling into the U.S.
The U.S. should (or should not) cut off all foreign aid to dictatorships.
Smoking should (or should not) be banned in public areas such as restaurants and airport terminals.
State and local governments should (or should not) operate lotteries and gambling casinos.
The U.S. should (or should not) remain in the United Nations.
Immigration into the U.S. should (or should not) be restricted.
Churches should (or should not) be required to pay taxes.
Federal funding for the arts should (or should not) be provided.
The present-day tax system is (or is not) unfair to middle-class and lower-income Americans.
College athletes should (or should not) be required to meet the academic requirements of their schools.
Sex education should (or should not) be a required course in all schools as early as sixth grade.
Everyone should (or should not) be required to pass a competency exam before being allowed to graduate from high school.
Chronic mental patients should (or should not) be housed in "halfway houses" or residences in the community, rather than in remote mental hospitals.
The President should (or should not) be limited to a single six-year term.
Billboards should (or should not) be outlawed on interstate highways.
Businesses should (or should not) be permitted to make unsolicited telephone calls to citizens.
IQ tests are (or are not) valid measures of human intelligence.
Psychologists and psychiatrists should (or should not) testify in court on behalf of the not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity plea.
Regardless of income, all Americans should (or should not) be guaranteed basic medical care under a national health insurance program.
Heredity is (or is not) a more powerful influence on personality development than environment.
ESP (extrasensory perception) is (or is not) a demonstrable scientific fact.
Scientific experimentation on animals should (or should not) be outlawed.
Heroin should (or should not) be legal as a pain reliever for terminally ill patients.
Acupuncture is (or is not) a valid medical technique.
Beauty pageants do (or do not) debase women.
The minimum wage should (or should not) be waived for adolescent and young adult workers.
Despite their legal tax deductions and loopholes, all millionaires should (or should not) be required to pay federal income tax.
Police should (or should not) be allowed to set up roadblocks to isolate and arrest impaired drivers.
Athletes should (or should not) be allowed to use steroids.
Urging Action
Students need to be more vigilant and observant to avoid becoming victims of campus crime.
Citizens should resist efforts being made to shut down zoos and aquariums.
Steps must be taken to reduce contaminants in the nation's water supplies.
Children and teenagers need to be educated on the dangers of huffing (sniffing solvents and aerosols).
Lawmakers need to pass tougher legislation to discourage the growing number of stalkers.
Every person should stipulate that in the event of death, he or she is willing to donate organs.
People of all races and ethnic groups should be aware that overexposure to the sun can cause skin cancer, regardless of a person's skin color.
Dog and cat owners should have their pets spayed or neutered.
Citizens with cellular phones can help thwart crimes and assist in the capture of criminals.
People wanting cosmetic surgery should investigate the risks before submitting to surgery.
Riders of bicycles and motorcycles should be required by law to always wear helmets.
Every person who dines at a restaurant needs to know when and how much to tip.
Hotels and motels should increase security to counteract the rising number of crimes against guests.
Taxpayers should subsidize therapy sessions for victims of violent crimes.
Sellers of used automobiles should be required by law to tell prospective buyers if a car is a rebuilt vehicle that had been wrecked.
Child care authorities should carefully screen prospective foster parents to prevent child molesters from becoming foster parents.
Everyone should take classes in CPR and first aid techniques.
Consumers who routinely run up credit card bills that they can't pay should seek guidance from credit counselors.