5/24 (Tue.) Abortion Debate / New Work Models (Host: Sherry)

[Sherry Liao]

Session I: Abortion Debate

Articles recommended before meeting:

1. Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows
2. Introduction to the abortion debate
3. 《生育保健法》刪除「人工流產需配偶同意」規定，保障女性生育自主決定權

Questions for Discussion:

1. Are you pro-life or pro-choice? What are your reasons for or against abortion?
   1a. When, if ever, does a human fetus become a 'human being'?
   1b. Is a fetus has a right to life? If so, does that right take priority over the mother's right to control her own body?
2. Should abortion be legalized? Should it be restricted? In what circumstances should abortion be legal?
3. In your opinion, is abortion a “right to self-determination” issue or a morality issue? As a woman, would you tell your boyfriend about your abortion for your ex-boyfriend? As a man, would you continue to date a woman who admitted to having had an abortion before? Why?
4. Do you support the amendment to Article 9 of the Genetic Health Act (優生保健法) in Taiwan to remove the requirement for married women to obtain “husband’s consent” before having an abortion? Why or why not?
   4a. As a husband, would you be mad if your wife got an abortion without telling you?
   4b. As a wife, would you go for abortion if your husband wants the kid but you don't?

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Session II: New Working Model

Articles recommended before meeting:

1. One or Two Days in the Office Is the ‘Sweet Spot’ of Hybrid Work
2. Law firm says staff can work from home - for 20% less pay
3. Is the end of working from home near?

Questions for Discussion:

1. According to a paper from Harvard Business School, hybrid workers performed better than those who worked primarily at home or mainly in the office. Do you agree?
   1a. As an employer, do you prefer traditional office emvironment, fully remote, or hybrid work? Why?
   1b. As an employee, do you think hybrid working is good for you? If so, how many days in a week to work from home may work best for you? Why?
2. If your company offer you an option to work from home permanently for 20% less pay, would you go for it? What pay package do you think is reasonable for full-time remote workers?
3. Do you agree that working in the office gives employees a better sense of belonging to the company, more social connections with other colleagues, and greater results in brainstorming and team creativity? What are good reasons to ask employees to return to the office?
4. In your opinion, who benefits the most when employees are working from home?

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Agenda:
6:45 ~ 7:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
7:00 ~ 7:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
7:10 ~ 7:50pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
7:50 ~ 8:00pm Summarization (10 mins)
8:00 ~ 8:05pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 10 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
8:05 ~ 8:45pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
8:45 ~ 8:55pm Summarization (10 mins)
8:55 ~ 9:00pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements

Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Online meeting:
Zoom meeting ID: 88548972682
Password: 784362
Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88548972682...
#YoyoEnglishClub
NO ON-SITE MEETING

Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for three times (including on-site and online meetings). After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1000 lifetime membership fee.

[Rock]

As a woman, would you tell your boyfriend about your abortion for your ex-boyfriend? As a man, would you continue to date a woman who admitted to having had an abortion before? Why?

I believe this is not something to share. A boyfriend should never ask about it, and a girlfriend doesn't have to feel guilty for not mentioning it. It's simply not a topic for fun. But of course we can think of some scenerios that people, either the boy or the girl, is stupid enough to do this and cause some problems.

[Iris Wu]

For Q3, I would ask “As a man, would you tell your girlfriend about you and your ex-girlfriend’s abortion?” For most people, it seems so irrelevant and unnecessary, and brainless. We should probably hold the same standard to women for comparable scenarios.

But for Q4, I guess it’s probably case by case. Disagreement between a couple on the abortion issue seems very complicated. It may need to be resolved from both medical and mental aspects first. It’s hard to say which side is sane or insane without knowing the actual cause and impacts. There may be some other legal arguments, but personally, I feel if any side commits himself/herself to taking the full responsibility of the baby, then it’s better to let the fetus complete its natural life in the world.

[Sherry Liao]

As a woman, would you tell your boyfriend about your abortion for your ex-boyfriend? As a man, would you continue to date a woman who admitted to having had an abortion before? Why?

I believe this is not something to share. A boyfriend should never ask about it, and a girlfriend doesn't have to feel guilty for not mentioning it. It's simply not a topic for fun. But of course we can think of some scenerios that people, either the boy or the girl, is stupid enough to do this and cause some problems.

I raised this question because I heard some discussions on this issue in other online forums, and I was impressed by the opinion of a male netizen. Abortion can harm a woman’s body and reduce her chances of getting pregnant again, he said, so husbands have the right to know if their wives have had an abortion before marriage if there is a consensus that they want a child. What do you think?

[Sherry Liao]

But for Q4, I guess it’s probably case by case. Disagreement between a couple on the abortion issue seems very complicated. It may need to be resolved from both medical and mental aspects first. It’s hard to say which side is sane or insane without knowing the actual cause and impacts. There may be some other legal arguments, but personally, I feel if any side commits himself/herself to taking the full responsibility of the baby, then it’s better to let the fetus complete its natural life in the world.

I agree. But from another perspective, losing autonomy over one's own body may put the wife at a disadvantage in the marriage. If a wife needs her husband’s consent to an abortion, a husband can use this to force his estranged wife to accept a divorce. But the reverse doesn't necessarily work.

[Michael-liu]

As a woman, would you tell your boyfriend about your abortion for your ex-boyfriend? As a man, would you continue to date a woman who admitted to having had an abortion before? Why?

I believe this is not something to share. A boyfriend should never ask about it, and a girlfriend doesn't have to feel guilty for not mentioning it. It's simply not a topic for fun. But of course we can think of some scenerios that people, either the boy or the girl, is stupid enough to do this and cause some problems.

I raised this question because I heard some discussions on this issue in other online forums, and I was impressed by the opinion of a male netizen. Abortion can harm a woman’s body and reduce her chances of getting pregnant again, he said, so husbands have the right to know if their wives have had an abortion before marriage if there is a consensus that they want a child. What do you think?

I agree. This is an issue not about you are stpuid or not, but an issue about you want to be honest with your partner or not before marriage. Children is an important issue in marriage, otherwise there is no point to get married. （Except for 分遺產的權利）