Today was a day for the business students. We were in a sweatshop making jackets for the U.S. market and a pharmaceutical distribution company talking about Vietnamese business issues and strategies. It was far more interesting than it sounds. Especially when one student (male) asked a pertinent question about the heavy marketing strategies for RU486 while not marketing condoms. Because this was a business day/business lesson his question was passed over, although it was discussed in a smaller circle.
His question was not about the ethics of RU486. He was questioning the ethics of the decision not to market the least harmful option while ignoring the (seemingly) simplest solution. Whether he knew it or not, what he was really beginning to notice were the underlying societal attitudes towards women and the pressing concerns surrounding gender issues -- the kinds of things things that most of us barely notice or brush off when we DO see them. I liked his astute persistence.
And, I might add, it's a concern that is not restricted to Vietnam nor to this particular issue of birth control.
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