This is an interesting topic to bring up in class because American students can relate the the controversy around abortion. The difference is, that while unwanted babies in American are primarily aborted because a mother does not feel ready to have a child, throughout Asia, abortion has given millions of families a way to ensure that they give birth to "valuable" boys.
I am really interested to see what American students think about the idea that boys are more valuable than girls in some societies. It is a good opportunity to study how culture can combine with technology to to create new problems - in this case, an large gender imbalance.
It is also interesting to note that as a country becomes more modern, it means that cultures start reflecting more Western values. As much as I appreciate the fact that South Koreans are now celebrating the birth of girls, I think that this is an unfortunate trend that is sweeping the globe. Call it what you want, but the sad reality is that many countries are losing many aspects of their culture as western thought and ideas come in.
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