If you’ve come this far in the series, you know how important language is. You know how important words are. But imagine a world where certain words are banned. That’s right, you’re gasping in disgust. So am I. As we should be.

We’re going to discuss the so-called “word ban” that President Donald Trump has imposed.

In December of 2017, President Trump announced to the body of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that certain words would be “banned.” The use of these words would be prohibited in official documents. These words include “evidence-based,” “science-based,” “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” and “fetus.”

While many have seen the word ban as immature and foolish, I think that it’s actually extremely virulent and holds so much danger. The banning of words that are important in so many heated issues is an act of cowardice, yes, but also one of great malicious intent.

First of all, these words are to be banned in official documents, including budget cases that the CDC makes to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget. When the CDC appeals for funding, it is not allowed to mention anything “science-based” or “evidence-based,” even though it is supposed to do scientific research and gather evidence on disease control. When the CDC needs money to help the people of the world fight disease, it’ll be almost impossible to plead its case. This will make it a little difficult for the CDC to do its job, won’t it?

On top of all that, many diseases that the CDC studies may have to do with pregnant women and children. How will the CDC investigate the Zika virus and publish studies on a cure if the words “fetus” and “vulnerable” are banned?

Some argue that the word “fetus” is banned for reasons that don’t have to do with disease. Rather, it’s banned because of a hotly debated issue between conservatives and liberals: abortion. The word “fetus” can come off as dehumanizing, as if a “fetus” is not alive, while a “child” is. By removing the living breath from the word “child,” the word “fetus” is a powerful tool in the Pro-Choice argument. Since President Trump represents the conservative platform, he wants to promote the Pro-Lifers; the banning of the word “fetus” will help humanize the addressed zygote in any official abortion document, thereby making it harder for liberals to defend their position.

I find it appalling that someone can try to silence a group of people by banning words at the core of their cause. Every opinion has a right to their arsenal of words; by taking words away, you are stripping people of a human right.

Moving on to the other banned words, Trump seems to be avoiding the discussion of other heated issues. The word “transgender” is banned. The Trump administration has already shown hostility toward the transgender population of America, even forbidding them to join the armed forces.

Trump uses healthcare costs of transgender people as an excuse for his actions, but he has no evidence to back it up. The military spends over five times as much on Viagra for non-transgender men as it does on any sort of gender-confirmation treatment or therapy for transgender people. By banning the word “transgender,” Trump is merely trying to move away from accepting everyone for who they truly are.

This is also seen in the ban of the last two words, “entitlement” and “diversity.” Okay, first of all, you cannot deny the existence of something just by denying its label. Diversity exists not only in America but all over the world. It exists not only in humans, either. There is diversity among plants, animals, protozoa, bacteria, fungi, viruses--you name it. Banning the word “diversity” will only hinder scientific progress to better understand life on this planet and beyond.

That being said, the issue here is of the human population in America. There is no doubt that some ethnic groups receive better treatment than others; there is no doubt that entitlement exists. Entitlement can be of white people, males, educated individuals, rich communities--anything.

But by getting rid of the word “entitlement,” these issues cannot be addressed in a way that will help promote equality. The American Dream is one of hard work and prosperity, but the system is rigged against some that do work hard for the country. In fact, it is rigged against many ethnic groups that are encompassed and represented by the population’s diversity. We cannot get rid of words like “entitlement” and “diversity,” because simply ignoring the issue will not solve it.

Now that we have examined each word that Trump intends to ban, we can address the consequences and implications of such prohibition. The next part of this series will include scientific evidence (ha!) from a respected cognitive scientist who explains how avoiding words can actually alter the way you think!