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Non-Kosher Insulin Injections


By Menachem Posner

Question:

I have type 2 diabetes, and I'm unable to control it adequately with oral medication, and thus require insulin injections. The products my doctor is suggesting are made either from human cadavers or porcine (pork) product. What should I do?

Answer:

Taking shots made of porcine product does not pose any problem whatsoever. We are forbidden to orally ingest pork, but may benefit from non-kosher foods or their byproducts in other ways.1 This applies to non-medical areas as well, such as playing football with a pigskin ball, or wearing clothing made of leather which comes from a non-kosher animal.

[Bear in mind that the laws of kosher are suspended in many instances for medical purposes. Speak to an expert rabbi if you find it necessary to take oral medicine which is not kosher.]

Injections which contain human remains do present a problem because we are forbidden to benefit from human bodies (see Are cadaver transplants allowed?).2 I would therefore advise you to take the porcine product insulin shots.

Wishing you continued success in your efforts to keep healthy under trying circumstances.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and sweet new year!

Yours truly,

Rabbi Menachem Posner
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FOOTNOTES
1.

The exception to this rule is a mixture of dairy and beef which was cooked together. Also, there are rabbinic restrictions on doing business in the non-kosher food industry.

2.

Though also not categorically forbidden in case of medical necessity.


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Rabbi Menachem Posner is a member of the Chabad.org Ask the Rabbi team.

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13 Comments Posted  |  Post A Comment
Reader Comments
Latest Comments:
Posted: June 27, 2009
Don't touch unclean things
Doesn't Torah say not to even touch unclean things? So how can touching a pigskin football be "kosher"?
Posted By David Ben-Ariel, Toledo, Ohio

Posted: Feb 18, 2009
Response to Tim Nichols
Using substances obtained from a living human is not necessarily cannibalism or unholy. Feeding human breastmilk to a baby is not prohibited.
Posted By Stephen Weinstein, Camarillo, CA
via chabadcamarillo.com

Posted: Feb 18, 2009
human insulin
The amino acid sequence of the human insulin is used in engineering the human insulin. It is not derived from pancreatic tissue. There are many excellent websites online that describe the process used to create these and other genetically engineered human hormones.

Those with concerns about whether these products are kosher should consult with their rabbi and prescribing physician.
Posted By Irena McClain

Posted: Feb 17, 2009
Human Insulin
If, as Irena McClain states, no tissue derived from a human pancreas is used in producing "Human Insulin," why is it considered a genetic clone of this substance? Why is it called "Human Insulin?" I don't believe her. There must be a HUMAN origin, rendering all such substances not just unholy, but actually cannibalism. I refuse to use this stuff. I prefer to die sooner than to die later as a cannibal!
Posted By Tim Nichols

Posted: June 2, 2008
Dear Stephen
Wearing leather shoes is forbidden on Yom Kippur and the 9th of Av. However, leather clothing, e.g., a kippa, belt or jacket is permitted.
Posted By Levi Silman, Cape Town, SA

Posted: May 29, 2008
Insulin Injections
In reply to the person asking about insulin injections, human insulin is genetically engineered, not obtained from human cadavers. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are two companies that have used special techniques to create human insulin and insulin analogues but neither company uses pancreatic cells from human cadavers. There are other injectables to control blood glucose that are not insulin (for example, Byetta and Symlin) but again, these are genetically engineered and not obtained from cadavers. I hope that you can pass on the information to the person that asked about using porcine insulin instead of human insulin.
Thank you
Posted By Irena McClain, Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi

Posted: Nov 18, 2007
Minor correction
The sentence "[t]his applies to non-medical areas as well, such as playing football with a pigskin ball, or wearing clothing made of leather which comes from a non-kosher animal" is not true on Yom Kippur, when wearing leather clothing is forbidden.
Posted By Stephen Weinstein, Camarillo, CA
via chabadcamarillo.com

Posted: Sep 25, 2007
insulin
In addition to the pork based insulin there also several synthetic ones on the market that could work for you.
Posted By Jerome David

Posted: Sep 23, 2007
Insulin
I don't know of anyone making insulin of Cadavers any longer nor of pork, Novalin is totally synthetic and works real well.
So is the New Bayetta, which is not insulin but makes your pancreas make insulin and makes you lose weight.
Shalom
Posted By Al, Miami, Fla

Posted: Sep 7, 2007
Insulin injections
Patients should consult with their physicians and rabbis concerning the origin of the insulin. Some patients may not be able to handle one or more types of insulin,animal, human or synthetic insulin, or that particular insulin may be ineffective. By the way, for the information of non-diabetics, the insulin is either injected or inhaled, not swallowed.

On a lighter note, there's no need to worry about playing football with a real pigskin. The very first footballs in 1869 when college football began had an inside made from a pig's bladder, hence the present name for the holder of the air in the ball and the ball's nickname; but by 1871, the bladders were made of rubber. The outer surface of the football ball was always made of leather as were the laces.
Posted By Leonard, Atlanta, GA, USA



 


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