The Dark Knight and Abortion

The Dark Knight. Probably one of my very favourite movies. I have yet to meet someone who doesn't think its one of the greatest things they have ever seen. The Joker is a terrifyingly perfect villain, and besides, who doesn't love Heath Ledger?

But what exactly does the Dark Knight have to do with abortion?

Well, watching that movie, abortion was one of the first things I thought of. I'm referring specifically to the scene with the two boats leaving the city - one boat full of criminals and one boat full of civilians, both so close to death. It is just so perfectly symbolic. I couldn't hope to describe the situation better than the Joker himself:

[over the PA] Tonight you're all gonna be part of a social experiment. Through the magic of diesel fuel and ammonium nitrate, I'm ready right now to blow you all sky high. Anyone attempts to get off their boat, you all die. Each of you has a remote... to blow up the other boat. At midnight, I blow you all up. If, however, one of you presses the button, I'll let that boat live. So, who's it going to be: Harvey Dent's most wanted scumbag collection, or the sweet and innocent civilians? You choose... oh, and you might want to decide quickly, because the people on the other boat might not be so noble. 

Of course we all know how this ends (and if you don't know - what the hell is wrong with you? watch the Dark Knight!!!!) - neither boat can bring themselves to blow up the other, even though they know that if they don't blow up the other boat, they will die.

I found this to be wonderfully symbolic of abortion, which pits the mother's life against her child's. If the mother allows her child to live, then the child ruins the mother's life. On the other hand, the child could die, the mother's life would remain intact. The Dark Knight seems to me to be a dramatic representation of the abortion debate - with one key difference. Both parties in the Dark Knight have some measure of control over their fate - after all, they can choose to blow up the other boat (hopefully before the other boat chooses to blow them up). But in an abortion, the baby makes no conscious decision to ruin the mother's life - he or she is simply existing as nature intended them to. The mother has all the control during an abortion decision.

I find it interesting that ultimately neither boat blows up the other, knowing full well that death is imminent (though of course they end up being saved by Batman - but that's an external factor neither party had any knowledge of). Both groups are shown to be remarkably courageous and ultimately GOOD by their willingness to recognize that their own lives are not worth the deaths of those on the other boat.

I like to think that most of us would make that same decision.  But with so many women (and men) out there in favour of abortion-on-demand, I sometimes wonder if that would be the case. So many people are willing to end a life to just preserve the status-quo of their own lives. I guess people are just innately selfish when faced with fear of the unknown?

Oh and P.S. SO psyched for The Dark Knight Rising!!! :D