blog.bioethics.net

Where's the Beef...or Should I Say Pork?

With the Food and Drug Administration's most recent approval of an antiwrinkle injectible that will keep a person's face expressionless, an important question must be asked: can the new Evolence, made from the stuff of food-grade pigs, be used by Jews without violating the Rabbinic laws?

In other words, is Evolence kosher?

Not being a scholar of Jewish midrash of any kind, I can't begin to comment on what is or is not permissible beyond what other's have said--which so far is pretty vapid. No offense to Rabbi Edward I. Reichman quoted in the NYT's article on our website who commented, to paraphrase, that eating pigs is bad, but tossing around the old pigskin on a Sunday afternoon is a-ok.

So there would seem to be some middle ground as yet without an answer--somewhere between bacon for breakfast and playing ball is having porcine products injected into your body. No, you aren't eating Porky, but his tendons are becoming part of your face and therefore, your self, your genetic makeup, and are metabolized by your body, just not through the digestive system.

While there exists a whole other debate in Judaism about whether persons should take unnecessary risks (like plastic surgery) in their medical care, and while the NYT article goes here, I will not. I'm sticking to the "meat" of the issue...

Although Evolence is made from inedible portions of a pig, it would be a stretch to say this would make the substance kosher in a way that the standard pork chop would not be. If this were the standard, Jews could eat regular pork hot dogs rather than the vastly superior Hebrew Nationals because we all know that traditional hot dogs are not made of anything meant to be edible from a pig or any other animal.

Poor hot dog humor aside, I've yet to hear a strong argument for why Evolence would need to or ought to be used over the other anti-wrinkle injectibles on the market. Porcine injectibles are reported to last longer than their bovine counterparts. But is that worth potentially conflicting with the Torah? Given that the jury is out about Evolence rabbinically-speaking and that the clinical advantages are less than overwhelming, I would think that for those Jews who want to keep kosher using Evolence would not be worth the risk of potentially violating Jewish law.

Being Jewish in this context simply means that there is just one less choice for a man or women on the market for a wrinkle-free face. That wouldn't seem to be so great a sacrifice for those who are committed to keeping kosher.

So opt for a bovine- (Collagen) or poultry-based option (Hylaform) to keep your face from expressing joy or sadness for weeks at a time. No need to consult a rabbi. Just tell your plastic surgeon to "Hold the pork, please."

Summer Johnson, PhD