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January 06, 2005
BehindTheMedspeak: Can Muslims and Jews receive pig heart valves?
What brought this question to my mind was the approaching use of pig hearts for human implantation.
The pigs will be cloned, their DNA combined with genes from the intended recipients to help avoid rejection.
This work should come to fruition within a decade.
At that time, the question of whether a Muslim or Jew can receive a pig heart in order to avoid dying of heart failure will become real.
If it's forbidden to eat anything pork-related, then surely it must be a far greater transgression to allow part of a pig to become part of one's own body.
Wouldn't you think?
You'd be wrong.
It's OK to receive a pig valve if you're a Muslim.
Same holds true if you're Jewish.
But a beating pig heart?
I will follow this topic with interest in coming years.
January 6, 2005 at 04:01 PM | Permalink
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Comments
The thing is, (from a Muslim point of view) is that it is forbidden to eat pork products in and about daily life- however if one was to be dying (literally of hunger) then as an act of self preservation it is acceptable that one could potentially consume pork.
I suppose the same would hold true for heart valves/transplants- more so; if anything...
Posted by: Mustafa | Apr 7, 2007 5:47:15 AM
Some thyroid supplement preparations have both pig and cow thyroid hormone in them....Armour brand, yes, just like the canned hams of yore.
Posted by: Marybeth | Jan 6, 2005 5:31:30 PM
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