Zika Virus Persuasive Speech

The third article in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.” However, in places like El Salvador, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, and Jamaica, the Zika virus threatens this right. As Zika spreads, it is not only stripping excitement and celebration from mothers expecting a new baby, but also filling them with an irrevocable fear of the serious birth defects that their baby may develop as a result of catching the virus. Influenced by this fear, women have searched for varying solutions in an attempt to prevent the mass spread of this dreadful epidemic.
Discovered in the western hemisphere between 2013 and 2015, Zika Virus has been spreading via daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes and in some cases via sexual transmission. Microcephaly, caused by the Zika virus, is a serious
For instance, Kelsey Mishkin Gardner, aware of the birth defects caused by the Zika virus, states in USA TODAY, “I plan my life around a tiny insect that could cause devastating birth defects to my unborn child. There is no reprieve from the planning. And when all precautions fail to prevent the dreaded bite, there is no reprieve from the worry. I wear pants and long sleeves to walk the dog in the sweltering summer heat. I slather myself with bug spray on the way to and from work and cringe when I receive annoyed glances because of the smell. I no longer hike or do normal outdoor activities. I take longer routes to avoid areas that might harbor mosquitoes. I am on constant alert at work and in the comfort of my own home for the sly mosquito that has slipped its way in. Every time I get a mosquito bite, I am consumed by fear that I have contracted Zika and that my first baby-to-be will suffer from irreparable and nearly inconceivable birth