Need to write an argumentative essay? Preparing for an upcoming debate? ProCon.org has over 100 topics complete with pro and con arguments, quotes and statistics from experts, historical information, and other pertinent research.
A
Abortion – Should abortion be legal?
Alternative Energy – Can alternative energy effectively replace fossil fuels?
American Socialism – Should the U.S. become socialist?
Animal Dissection – Should K-12 students dissect animals in science classrooms?
Animal Testing – Should animals be used for scientific or commercial testing?
Artificial Intelligence – Is artificial intelligence good for society?
B
Banned Books – Should parents or other adults be able to ban books from schools and libraries?
Binge-Watching – Is binge-watching good for you?
Bottled Water Ban – Should bottled water be banned?
C
Cancel Culture – Is cancel culture (or callout culture) good for society?
CBD for Pets – Is CBD good for pets?
Cell Phone Radiation – Is cell phone radiation safe?
Cheerleading – Is cheerleading a sport?
Churches & Taxes – Should churches (including mosques, synagogues, etc.) remain tax-exempt?
Climate Change – Is human activity primarily responsible for global climate change?
College Education – Is a college education worth it?
Concealed Handguns – Should adults have the right to carry a concealed handgun?
Corporal Punishment – Should corporal punishment be used in K-12 schools?
Corporate Tax Rate – Should the federal corporate income tax rate be raised?
Cuba Embargo – Should the United States maintain its embargo against Cuba?
D
DACA & Dreamers – Are DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and the DREAM Act good for America?
Daylight Saving Time – Should the United States keep daylight saving time?
DC AND Puerto Rico Statehood – Should Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico be granted U.S. statehood?
Death Penalty – Should the death penalty be legal?
Defund the Police – Should police departments be defunded, if not abolished?
Dress Codes – Should Dress Codes Be Implemented and Enforced?
Drinking Age – Should the drinking age be lowered from 21 to a younger age?
Drone Strikes – Should the United States continue its use of drone strikes abroad?
Drug Use in Sports – Should performance-enhancing drugs be accepted in sports?
E
Election Day National Holiday – Should the election day be made a national holiday?
Electoral College – Should the United States use the Electoral College in presidential elections?
Employer Vaccine Mandates – Should employers be able to mandate vaccinations?
F
Felon Voting – Should people who have completed felony sentences be allowed to vote?
Fighting in Hockey – Should fighting be allowed in hockey?
Filibuster – Should the U.S. Senate keep the filibuster?
Fracking – Should the United States continue fracking
Free College – Should public college be tuition-free?
G
GMOS – Should genetically modified organisms (GMOs) be grown?
Gold Standard – Should the United States return to a gold standard?
Golf – Is golf a sport and are golfers athletes?
Gun Control – Should more gun control laws be enacted?
H
Historic Statue Removal – Should historic statues be taken down?
Homework – Is homework beneficial?
I
Illegal Immigration – Should the U.S. government provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants?
Internet – Is the internet “making us stupid?”
J
K
Kneeling during the National Anthem – Is kneeling during the national anthem an appropriate form of protest?
L
M
Mandatory National Service – Should the United States have mandatory national service?
Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) – Should medical aid in dying be legal?
Medical Marijuana – Should medical marijuana be legal?
Milk – Should humans consume dairy milk?
Minimum Wage – Should the federal minimum wage be increased?
N
Net Neutrality – Should the U.S. have net neutrality laws?
O
Obesity – Is obesity a disease?
Olympics – Are the Olympic games an overall benefit for their host countries and cities?
OTC Birth Control Pills – Should birth control pills be available over-the-counter (OTC)?
P
Paying College Athletes – Should colleges and universities pay college athletes?
Penny – Should the penny stay in circulation?
Pit Bull Bans – Should breed-specific legislation (“pit bull bans”) be enacted?
Pokémon – Is Pokémon Go good for our society?
Police Body Cameras – Should police officers wear body cameras?
Prescription Drug Costs – Should the U.S. federal government regulate prescription drug prices?
Private Prisons – Should prisons be privatized?
Q
R
Recreational Marijuana – Should recreational marijuana be legal?
Reparations for Slavery – Should the federal government pay reparations to the descendants of slaves?
Right to Healthcare – Should all Americans have the right (be entitled) to health care?
S
Sanctuary Cities – Should sanctuary cities receive federal funding?
Santa Claus – Is there really a Santa Claus?
Saturday Halloween – Should Halloween be moved permanently to Saturday?
School Uniforms – Should students have to wear school uniforms?
School Vouchers – Should states have school voucher programs?
Social Media – Is social media good for society?
Social Security Privatization – Should social security be privatized?
Space Colonization – Should humans colonize space?
Standardized Tests – Do standardized tests improve education in America?
Student Loan Debt – Should student loan debt be eliminated via forgiveness or bankruptcy?
T
TikTok Bans – Should TikTok be banned?
U
Uber & Lyft – Are ride-hailing companies a benefit to society?
Universal Basic Income (UBI) – Should the United States implement a universal basic income?
U.S. Supreme Court Packing – Should packing the U.S. Supreme Court ever be considered?
V
Vaccines for Kids – Should states be allowed to mandate vaccines for school attendance??
Vaping E-Cigarettes – Is vaping e-cigarettes safe?
Vegetarianism – Should people become vegetarian?
Video Games & Violence – Do violent video games contribute to youth violence?
Voting Age – Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
Voting Machines – Are electronic voting machines the best method for voting?
W
X
Y
Z
Zoos – Should zoos exist?
Archived Topics
Please note that ProCon no longer updates these debates.
ACLU – Is the ACLU good for America?
Big Three Bailout – Should the big three car manufacturers be bailed out by the U.S. government?
Born Gay – Is sexual orientation determined at birth?
College Football Playoffs – Should college football replace the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) with a playoff system?
Dakota Access Pipeline – Should the Dakota Access Pipeline be completed?
D.A.R.E. – Is the D.A.R.E. program good for America’s kids (K-12)?
Gay Marriage – Should gay marriage be legal?
Congressional Insider Trading – Should insider trading by Congress be allowed?
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – What are the solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
Obamacare – Is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) good for America?
President Bill Clinton – Was Bill Clinton a good president?
President Ronald Reagan – Was Ronald Reagan a good president?
Presidential Election, 2008 – Which candidate would make the best U.S. president?
Presidential Election, 2012 – Which candidate should be U.S. president in 2012?
Presidential Election, 2016 – The candidates and where they stand on the issues
Presidential Election, 2020 – 2020 Presidential Election Site
Prostitution – Should prostitution be legal?
Tablets v. Textbooks -Should tablets replace textbooks in K-12 schools?
Teacher Tenure – Should teachers get tenure?
Under God in the Pledge – Should the words “under god” be in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance?
U.S. Drone Shot down by Iran – Was the U.S. drone shot down by Iran over international waters?
U.S.-Iraq War – Should the U.S. have attacked Iraq?
WTC Muslim Center – Is it appropriate to build a muslim community center (aka the ”ground zero mosque”) near the World Trade Center site?
