What would a pro-life superhero look like?
I don't mean in the metaphorical sense of a real-life figure who's been important to the movement. I mean in the literal cape-and-tights sense of the word.
This question is kind of the coalescence of a couple thoughts that have been floating around in my head recently. First, how superheroes function as larger-than-life figures representing positive values, operating as substitute role models in a society where so many real people who were seen as upstanding members of society have turned out to have dark secrets. Second, how poor representation of the pro-life worldview is in mainstream media and popular culture.
Those two thoughts collided in my mind, and since then, I've been stuck on these questions: If we take what it means to be pro-life, turn that up to 11, and manifest those values in a single person, what does that look like? If this person is vastly more capable of action than your average person, what does that mean?
Some elements almost write themselves. The origin would probably involve losing a sibling to abortion, or being an abortion-survivor. The goal, of course, would be preventing abortions. But what about powers, and strategy? Superheroes are typically associated with vigilante action, but "Clinic-Bomber-Lass" isn't what we're going for.
Would it just be souped-up versions of regular activism, like creating duplicates to do sidewalk counseling at multiple clinics at once, or a rich Bruce Wayne type who can personally fix the material circumstances that push mothers toward abortion? Or something less directly comparable, like a powerful healing aura that prevents people nearby from being harmed?
If you think connecting the issue to the superhero genre trivializes a serious issue... well, you're wrong; it's a flexible genre that's more than capable of addressing serious issues. But if that's a hangup that gets in the way of you engaging with the thought experiment, then drop the aesthetic trappings of the genre and just ask yourself what the ideal pro-life role model would look like, if designed from the ground up without regard for realism.
Posted Mar 12, 2020, 5:44 AM UTC