Jun 24, 2009 16:21
Today at the pharmacy in Hong Kong I noticed that not only are the birth control pills sold over the counter, but also that the cheapest brand only costs $5.25 per month. This shit isn't expensive to manufacture, so why does it cost $30 a month in the US? Furthermore, in the US, women have to pay for a doctor visit to get the prescription renewed every year (which doctors will only do if you do an evil pap smear even though research has shown for years that pap smears are not really necessary for young women).
Maybe people in search of common ground for the abortion debate can learn something from a city-state that levies 16% flat tax and doesn't provide social services. If the pills are cheap and available, the state saves $$$.
On the flip side, today it occurred to me that I've been living in Hong Kong for almost 2 years, and not a day has gone by that I haven't heard the sound of jackhammers and powersaws. It confounds me that a city can spend so much time on construction and yet look so rundown.
politics,
places,
hk