Persuasive Speech

Did you know that black women only account for 13% of the female population in the
U.S. and also account for 35% of the nation’s abortions? This means that black women have the
highest abortion rate in the country with 474 abortions per 1,000 live births. These statistics
show how terribly the legalization of Roe V. Wade has affected the African American
community. Sadly, the African American community is not the only one negatively affected.
Other minority communities and the disabled community continue to be wiped out by the
legalization of abortion in the United States. In addition, society as a whole has slowly started to
devalue human life. Roe v. Wade should be reversed in the United States of America because of
ethnic cleansing, prejudice towards those with chromosomal disorders and creating a culture of
respect towards the importance of human life. 

In the United States of America, the legalization of abortion has drastically affected the
population of minority communities. Starting with the history of Planned Parenthood, founded in
1916, Planned Parenthood is the nation’s biggest abortion and reproductive health
services provider. The founder of Planned Parenthood is none other than Margaret Sanger, a
known eugenicist. She famously said, "if we are to develop in America a new race with a racial
soul, we must keep the birth rate within the scope of our ability to understand as well as to
educate. We must not encourage reproduction beyond our capacity to assimilate our numbers so
as to make the coming generation into such physically fit, mentally capable, socially alert
individuals as are the ideal of a democracy."(Daniela, Congress.gov) To further support my
claim on abortion being introduced as eugenics in the United States, I would like to add that
Sanger’s successor, Alan Frank Guttmacher was vice president of the American Eugenics
Society. Unfortunately, we can clearly see the effects of ethnic cleansing on the African
American community in present day.

The legalization of abortion in the United States has also led to “ableist cleansing.” The
evidence on this “ableist cleansing” is found in statistics such as: Prenatal diagnosis of Tay
Sachs, trisomy 13 or 18, anencephaly and spina bifida resulted in 73- 100% termination of the
pregnancies. Sex chromosome disorder and sickle cell anemia prenatal diagnosis has
a termination rate of 38 to 79%. This evidence shows that in the cases of moderate to severe fetal
chromosomal abnormality, the majority of women choose termination for their child.
Further evidence on abortion targeting the Down Syndrome community specifically are the
statistics that: About 67% of pregnancies where the baby is diagnosed with down syndrome end
in abortion in the United States. Sadly, this is exactly what eugenicists such as Alan Frank
Guttmacher and Margaret Sanger hoped for in the United States. As citizens of this great
country, we must take a stand against this great injustice towards our brothers and sisters.

In the United States of America, the legalization of abortion through Roe V. Wade has
created a culture full of disrespect for human life. A commonly known fact is that many pro-
abortion advocates reject the scientific fact that life begins at conception. Often, you will
hear pro-abortion advocates creating their own ideas of when life begins instead of accepting
science. Science completely affirms that human life begins at conception. As a society we claim
to be pro human rights, during difficult times we have always defended human beings from
being de humanized. This country should continue to do this by outlawing abortion and reversing
the common culture of abortion. In addition, the issue of giving dignity and respect to every
human life is not one that is religious. This issue involves the morals of Western Society as a
whole.

About half of the United States considers themselves “pro-life” while the other half
claims to be “pro-choice.” A common “pro-choice” argument is that the right to an abortion has
been prevalent in the United States for about 50 years and it is extremely common. Nearly 1 in 4
women in the United States will undergo an abortion in her lifetime. Obstetrics and
Gynecologists specialists are trained in abortion procedures; therefore, it is healthcare. However,
the definition of healthcare per Merriam-Webster is, “efforts made to maintain or restore
physical, mental or emotional wellbeing.” In addition, medicine is also defined as “the science
and art dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease.
Therefore, because pregnancy is not an illness or disease that needs to be cured, the terminology
of calling abortion healthcare would be incorrect. For abortion to be a form of healthcare it
would have to “maintain or restore” health.  Calling abortion, which is literally taking the life of
an innocent human being, “healthcare” is wildly misleading and quite frankly insensitive.

Roe V. Wade in the United States is a heavily debated issue with a clear solution which is
reversing it. Creating a culture of respect towards the importance of human life is a great reason
for reversing Roe V. Wade. In addition, the prejudice towards those with chromosomal
disorders and the erasure of disabled communities is another reason why Roe V. Wade should be
reversed. Lastly, Roe v. Wade should be reversed in the United States of America because of the
severity of ethnic cleansing occurring. It is a very severe issue that black women only account
for 13% of the female population in the U.S. and also account for 35% of the nation’s abortions.