I have a human cadaver patella tendon in my knee joint. It was my only option for my severed ACL repair. Does this make me a cannibal? Of course not, ridiculous. If the animal part was the only option and the patient wanted to live then it is acceptable. IF IT IS THE ONLY OPTION and you want to survive.  Frankly, I would not do that myself though.

I dislike these kind of questions. While I might not use an animal for surgery, who am I to judge others who make a different choice.

Tough question. I don't buy leather, but I would probably say yes for survival sake only.

WTF? i am happy to KILL human animals (if they are corpse eaters), but will not harm other animals. killing murderers is JUSTICE. corpse eaters are murderers. other animals are innocent. one who does murder must be put to death. there is no excuse. who cares about your survival? eat rock and die. if you touch my animals i will decapitate you publicly. this is Moses. LEARN. we will enforce 11 Commandments in this planet by DEATH PENALTY, soon. Https://vegan-religion.org

Your not eating it and the animal has died or is dying before hand. Life is precious and the quality of life is even more appealing, so if by chance you are able to improve your quality of life by having the transplant then why not do it.

Yes, the person would still be vegetarian, because vegetarians contribute to cow and chicken slaughter every day. Dairy cows are tortured their whole life and put to slaughter when they stop producing. And male chicks are either suffocated or ground up alive in a macerator because they don’t lay eggs. Being vegetarian is almost identical to being a meat eater. Vegan and Jain are the only way to be.

Why try to keep yourself alive at all costs if by nature you're already dead? Why continue living in a body that is no longer able to support life? Would you prefer to suffer the side effects of all the drugs needed to avoid rejection of the transplanted parts not to mention the post- operation symptoms of the anaesthesia that your body fights to eliminate hence the kidney damage? Death is part of life. Why not accept it? If anyways sooner or later you'll have to face it, what's the point of adding a few more years of zombie life?

Yes. you are vegetarian. No judgement. No labeling. No need for the veg police to qualify you. Leave the past to the PAST. Live your best life as a vegetarian. Be happy that you are alive. Love yourself. Be happy!!

The plant world has everything we need both for sustenance and healing. As a person who has witnessed first hand the healing power of plants (not to mention our minds), I patently reject the notion that only a murdered animal could save me or anyone else for that matter.

You don't need an animal part to survive.

Use prisoners instead. Poor animal did nothing wrong

Absolutely not.

Vaccines may have animal parts so does other medications

Depends.

Was the animal part procured by causing suffering to the animal?

If so, then no.

At that moment you are not a vegetarian. But for the rest of your life, you could be.

If an animal was humanely euthanized in the operating room where this would take place to have an animal part for transplant then what is the issue of taking its part. Aortic valves are taken from pigs and cattle. Our insulin was from pigs now recombinant. Our thyroid comes from bovine thyroid. These are the products of the slaughter industry where these animals live and die miserably. Also heparin a life saving anticoagulant comes from pigs lungs again from slaughtered animals. An organ taken for transplant (hypothetical) in an animal that was raised in a clean healthy environment and euthanized is not much different from when we donate a kidney...  We have not come to this science of transplanting animal organs because of the tissue rejection. Those above mentions products are not whole organs but molecules from the animal tissues so they are not rejected and the valves are connective tissue that they "clean off" so they won't be rejected. I am off on a tangent here. But are you still a vegetarian? Hmmmm

Yes, because Vegetarianism is a diet. Vegetarians contribute to the slaughter of cows and chickens by eating products (dairy, eggs) they don't need, so using something you actually need to survive isn't going to change your diet status.

You were not vegetarian at that time, but you can again become vegetarian. Be in the present. Question is are you still vegetarian, so yes you can be if you want to be. Being vegetarian in a choice only for here and now. If an animal HAS to die for me to survive, sobeit. Apart from survival debate, I do not see a situation.

Technically, if it cost a life. I like that man’s big essay below. “Cat gut” was a surgery stitching material, from an animal not bred or killed for it directly for your immediate situation. If im gifted a leather belt as long as its not exotically killed for it (Aligators shoes). Before I got to be a leather purist, I’d have had to evolve into a kinder, greener, more sensitive or politically activist creature. There are effects of ingesting animal products on your soul in just what spiritual forces you bring into the digestive process. See Rudolf Steiner on nature of forces in the different kingdoms of nature effects on especially our subtle bodies. Yes, economics of diet has soul effects as well.

It always depends on what you can accept and live with. Can you accept an animal part and live happily with no regrets afterwards? I'm not sure I could be happy with that.

Did you know certain insulins are derived from pigs’ thyroids?

sounds like medical sci-fi

I just love animals that's one of the reasons I became a vegatrian

Stupid question. Stop it!

I could of had one, but went for a metal alternative to prevent an animal being killed.

and I tell surgeons and all of the team that. if it comes to saving my life with animals or letting me go. I vote go. thanks for the time I have had on earth, my place is in the spiritual realm with my ancestors.

Having to use an animal for a part is an insult to the life of the animal. Give me the whole animal alive and watch how much further I go with surviving, the only part I would take is whole and alive.

I would not want it and I also think we don't need animal parts to survive. Though, I wouldn't judge anyone because it's their choice.

Who really cares?

I don't think I d want it, but if I was saying I might change my mind. I wouldn't judge a vegetarian if they decided to use an animal part to survive.

It depends on the part and the way it is taken. If the animal is killed for the express purpose of getting the part then that really is crossing the line. However if the animal can survive the extraction well enough or was being killed anyway for some other reason (preferably benign) then perhaps fair enough. There is a parallel with human organ donation. There is also the parallel with leather: on the whole it is to be avoided as much as possible and I certainly do not agree with animals being bred for their skin. There is the problem that using up the "spare bits" does assist the overall economics of the animal slaughter industry but nevertheless...

To my eyes animals and humans are equal. So, is it OK taking someone else's life in an attempt to gain a few more years in yours?

I think medical emergencies could be considered as matter of survival.

not really sure. Never had to choose yet - thank god. Right now as i am all fine i would say; no. but if the the day comes, who knows! :-)

The goal is to do the least harm overall it’s often impossible to take needed medications and to live completely 100% animal product free even certain parts in our phones and cars stem from cruelty. If morally we are always doing the absolute best we can can then I believe that follows the tenants of veganism. If you die and can’t pass along the knowledge and continue to save the animals you can, no one wins.

I prefer to be vegan because of I can't feel the animal pain so I will never take their to survive.I will never kill them or take their to live!

It is what eats week to week, day to day that is most important. If you survive, you can be a vegetarian longer.

This would be unnatural, immoral and disgusting.

I'd hire a cartel member to kill a slaughter house owner's relative and use that!

Not real big on extra surgery ideas. The only serious surgery I have ever had is abdominal hernia a couple of years ago. Thank you

Being vegetarian is a dietary lifestyle. Cruelty to animals is another important topic. Especially when we are currently facing the largest mass extinction of vertebrates. Animals, birds, lizards, and sea life are losing species at an alarming rate. Humans have destroyed habitats and need to realize what they are doing. The risk of using animal parts increasing the odds for rejection. Why kill an animal for human use if its not needed or foolproof.

Vegetarian, but not vegan.

If the animal was not raised for organs and died for its own reasons, maybe.

Key being 'need it to survive' but also how it's obtained, as one person already stated quite well, would matter as well. But I respect someone who would not take it at all, that's a personal choice. I'd just not hold all people to that standard or say they 'aren't vegetarian'. Vegetarian means you abstain from meat consumption, but doesn't mean if you were dying you'd not make a different choice related to that. For every day food or unnecessary things like make-up or purses, I say the policy of doing no harm when it's not needed is they way I see it for myself, as the standard.

No, as I am vegan. I don't use medicines, as most of them have a history of being tested on non-human animals, but I have reluctantly had the CVOID 19 vaccine recently, out of a sense of public duty.

I am more against the suffering aspect than the taking of an animals life if that makes sense, if the animal who I got the part from suffered or was subjected to a painful procedure to remove the limb then I would refuse

But if the animal in question was euthanised with no pain involved I wouldn't have an issue as such

Technically, no. But the morality of such an action depends on how you obtain that part. What if you obtained it from animals which died from old age?

Animals are here with us, not for us.

D-definitely not vegetarian if you eat parts of animals. Also pills.

Silly question.. because being a vegetarian isn’t about can I call myself a vegetarian if I do this or that... a cow is still a vegetarian even if actually eats a bug while eating grass lol ,Being a vegetarian is not a status symbol either you eat meat or you don’t what’s even more silly is having different versions of vegetarian some people say I’m a vegetarian but I eat fish , I’m a vegetarian but I eat turkey, either you live a plant-based diet or you don’t and you don’t have to explain yourself to anyone you can call yourself a vegetarian it’s a free country, but I’m sure everyone somewhere along the line has accidentally eaten something that they weren’t aware of .be it a piece of bread that has eggs in it which obviously is not plant-based meaning it’s not vegetarian or vegan but it doesn’t mean you’re not a vegetarian if you accidentally consume something ,it’s sort of like if you eat food and has wine in it and I was all of a sudden someone who drinks alcohol.. I think people micromanage and think way too deep looking for criticism when comparing other vegetarians or vegans to themselves. Live and let live just do your thing... I’ve been a vegetarian my entire life and not because of health not because I’m protecting animals I just think it’s gross and disgusting to eat and dead animals or an egg in my case I just never considered it a food source and I grew up in the country on a farm thank God we grow our own vegetables otherwise I would’ve starved I was a very finicky eater as a kid and never ever ever tried any type of meat in fact I never knew what a vegetarian was  until I was about 25 I was just someone who didn’t eat dead animals..

Ya

I’m pretty sure they can grow/print human organs in space now, so I think this is a short term theoretical problem. It wouldn’t be a vegetarian thing to do but I don’t think it would exclude you from being a vegetarian. The same way I have to take medicine encased in gelatine capsules because they don’t have a vegetarian alternative. It is impossible to live as a purist, you couldn’t have a refrigerator, we are all just doing our best.

Some humans are willing to sacrifice themselves by donating organs, but they're able to give consent. But when it comes to other animals... can you possibly use their body part(s) without killing them, and help them heal and be always by their side lovingly?

There are no animal parts that we would ever need to survive. In fact, animal products and by-products are the reason we are so ill and needlessly dying from totally avoidable diseases and conditions.  Anything that a human could possibly need to survive is already provided for in nature and I am not referring to the killing of animals.

Ick!

Vegetarianism to me is a path of least destruction. So if comes to survival, I'd put human life over an animal. Whether it's my life or someone else's.

As long as you don't eat it. Say, for example, you needed an animal's bone as a weapon to defend yourself. Besides, why does it ask if you are a vegetarian rather than a vegan?

With all the advancements in medicine I highly doubt we’d need to resort to animal parts. Stem cell research and cloning dates back to before anyone on this site was probably born so I’m pretty sure there will most definitely many more than one alternative to animal part to help us survive. Medicine is more advanced than many car to imagine.

If I allowed myself to come to a point where I might be needing an animal part to live, then I deserve to die.

Always choose life. Especially yours. So you can keep ascending and help heal the world.

Sure!

The question really becomes could you live without most of the vegetables you love for the rest of your life and be stuck on blood thinners for life?One must fully consider the ramifications of the decision. The most likely animal product that would be used surgically in this hypothetical scenario would be the choice between a mechanical heart valve and a porcine (pig) heart valve. It is easy to say that you would choose the mechanical valve however if you have ever known someone who has to be on anticoagulation you know that this would be extremely difficult and unhealthy for a vegetarian. Most green vegetables must be limited or avoided while on blood thinner such as Coumadin which is a requirement to avoid blood clots and death once you have a mechanical valve. However if you go with the choice for a porcine valve you do not have to be on blood thinners and can continue eating leafy greens, broccoli and other things that could cause blood clots and death if you had a mechanical valve mechanical valve and had to be on blood thinners for the rest of your life.For further medical information click the link below.Cardiac crossroads: deciding between mechanical or bioprosthetic heart valve replacementhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3063655/From a different aspect if  we were going by the clear cut definitionYes, by definition one still is a vegetarian Vegetarian if they use animal products such as leather shoes or heart valves. If the question asked would you be vegan The answer could be no since Veganism  is the attempt to avoid all product products that can cause the animal harm.

for sure I am still vegetarian

No but I would probably take it in order to survive. On the other hand I don't need to eat animals to survive.

Apart from labeling "vegetarian" I guess the questions should be then, "Would you take a human part (against the will of the person) to survive?

I would say no, but it is a conundrum, as much as I would hate the idea, the medical use parts are still going to exist for now. I would prefer a synthesized, grown part, 3D printed or whatever technology has been devised in the future. I know many advancements are on the horizon. Ultimately no animal should have to suffer for humans. Today's sad reality is that it's still going to happen and all we can do is push for change. As a healthy vegan or vegetarian, the likelihood we will need any parts is hopefully unnecessary.

Unless otherwise or if the animal donated the body parts like human do then it is ok.

More often than not the choice is decided for you by medical practicioners, in which case, why beat yourself over it. You can instead work with organizations like PCRM or PETA to try to reform the system. However, if someone who calls themselves vegetarian decides that their life holds more value than that of any other creature, then I dont think that person can ethically call themselves a vegetarian

If you are in the wilderness and need to sustain life there are things growing you can survive on. If you need an animal part to survive? Not sure I understand the total meaning of the question. Anyone who has taken medicine to maintain their life has done so at the cost of animal lives. That said I would not personally kill an animal if I knew I could continue to live without it. Even if you had to eat an animal it was because you were going to die. So you can go on being a vegetarian in that moment or you could be dead? Take your pick. I choose moving on with survive and then resuming my way of life.

If the animal has just died of natural causes then yes, you could use that part/organ and remain an ethical vegan. If the part was grown artificially in a lab entirely cruelty-free, then also yes. But more often than not, the animal has to be put down for your benefit and/or other patients and in that case no, you will no longer be an ethical vegan. You can continue to have a plant-based diet, which technically still makes you a vegan, but from the point of view of animal exploitation and abuse, you have crossed a barrier.

Do you mean would you still be vegan? Check the Vegan Society definition - yes you’d still be vegan if it was necessary. Sadly the world is set up with few cruelty-free alternatives but they are increasing.

Ahimsa or non-violence is an ideal to strive for it is unatainable,this world it is not so simple,we do our best but are not perfect, to be ridgid only causes more suffering.We eat and kill billions of microscopic animals daily,intention matters.

The best time to ask this question is when someone is on the surgery table about to die. THAT is the moment of truth. I'm not judging. I'm just say'n.

Animal organs, tissue, cells, and blood are all used in medical procedures for humans. The first pig heart transplant was 1993, so this is a legitimate question. I'm just not sure where we, as vegetarians and vegans, stand since most medical products we routinely consume/use are either tested on animals or often contain animal products.

It is still exploitation.

What about blood transfusions? Veganism is an ideology. It has nothing to do with donating or receiving organs. What if I am a chief Doctor of biggest animal hospital. I would definitely receive the organ to save my life to save thousands of animals

This is not a serious question, right?

I'm sure I can find a more natural way to survive

What a strange question

It is unlikely the animal in question gave me her permission to kill her and use her organs. I’d find countless other ways to survive and avoid surgery altogether. Prevention is better than cure as stated by many medical professionals in my family.

I wouldn't want that but being a vegetarian is about diet which is not related.

Won't flow with the meaning of the word

I don't think so. I hope that never happens to any sanctioned being.

That would be last resort only. I do eat sea food occasionally. I am trying to reduce dairy to only butter.

If the animal was only injured or harmed but not killed, then yes, you may still be a vegetarian. If the question was vegan, then no, absolutely not. Vegetarians contribute to the suffering of countless dairy and egg producing animals daily, so this is no different.

Of course not

If there is evidence that the animal died of natural causes, then I might consider it. Human organs are donated all the time, does that make us a cannibal if we are a recipient?

No way.

Animals are not meant to eat and our bodies are not designed to take animal parts.

No animal parts are needed to survive

Whole idea of being vegan is not to do anything with animals but love them platonically not use their parts to keep us alive!

Silly question.

I`m ok with using second hand wool etc I buy 2nd hand jumpers on ebay and op shops, I don`t agree with the industry`s though. If your talking about transplants and stuff no way

I am not sure this question makes sense, but automatically I say no. I would need to understand more to answer it though.

Being vegan means to do the least harm as possible. All pharmaceuticals are tested on animals and I don't refuse these if I am sick. Many people in the world need animal products to survive, I am fortunate to be privileged enough to have a choice about what I eat.

This question is so vague it's not worth answering. The choice is die or remain a militant vegan. I'd figure out how to live with the choice to live.

Uh...that's a vague kind of question. By animal part that could mean anything, Sheep's wool in a survival situation? I mean this is a wide open question with no definitive answer as no-one can really say what they would do in order to survive! Being vegetarian is a choice I make, if it was a survival situation then the choice may be taken out of my hands, so I'm going to say that yes it would still make me a vegetarian. Vegetarianism is a choice, survival may not be.

Not sure x

You definitely wouldn't be a vegan. And if I had a choice I would probably be against it, but you never really know what you'd do in a life or death situation. Unfortunately, they test on and harm animals constantly for absolutely nothing and want ppl to believe it's all about saving lives. I'm just disgusted that I live in a country where the taxes I pay go to torturing animals and I have no say in the matter, whatsoever.

No animals should have to give anything for me

No, everybody has the same right to live.

Of course not

I will never ever eat, or use another being.Theres no reason,to do it, now that my mind knows the truth and my heart cares and love as iqual all the creatures in earth,I will rather to die, than do that.

I'm Vegan. No anymal will die for my sake.

No mtr wat leave the animals alone. Science & technology are so advanced and sophisticated that there are other ways to survive. This question insulted my intelligence. If animals had a religion humans would be the DEVIL. Yupp I said it & I'm proud of it too!

Our society is riddled with animal ingredients. Veganism aims to avoid complicity so far as is reasonable. It does not call for sacrificing oneself because, say, some medicine one needs to survive is not yet available in an animal-free form. We still benefit from horrific studies done during WWII. What benefit comes from dying if one’s only chance of living is by some small participation in horrors rampant around us and already in more of our items than we might care to recognize? Why value that sort of purity? What about one’s obligations, say, to one’s child or partner or parents? (The question is silly framed around vegetarianism given how much cruelty is behind dairy, eggs, and so on.)

Never, rather die than eat an innocent animal.

They can make parts out of alternative nonanimal materials...unnecessary to kill an animal to keep a person alive.

A lot of people have a replacement valve in their hearts made from a part of a pig. My husband was one of them. This made him live 14 years more. He died when doctors replaced that valve for a mechanical one and complications happened in that surgery. I was a vegan in that moment and it did not supposed any moral problem for me. I wanted my husband to survive. I loved him. I was not in love with the pig. I do like to make animals to suffer, but if they are used for medical reasons, I accept the fact as natural.

In terms of justice it requires permission of organ owner and animal cannot give it. It's also ok to accept organ from dying human cause that human doesn't need it anymore (like after car accident). But animals are killed to get their organs, that's not fair. I would accept organ from animal that already died naturally, but would rather die myself than request to kill someone else to save me

I prefer to die than accept parts from anyone or animals.

I am vegan

I guess as long as you’re not eating the animal part!

Define survive, sadly animal testing is used for vaccines and they’re VITAL for the well-being of society. I would take an animal part because I want to take care and provide for my parents later on.

When a person consumes animal flesh as food the micro and macronutrients stay in the person's body for a limited time. If the same person has an animal part surgically and permanently put in their body then that person can't be vegetarian. Although we each have an emotional position on the issue; the question doesn't read how do you feel about it.

i don't think i will eat that animal

I'm too healthy to need an animal part to survive.

Yes, because it is life or death.

First this a misleading question. The reality of inter species transplants has never worked and will never work simply because of our immunological reaction, a powerful defense mechanism that opposes the entry of any foreign material, including organs and foreign tissues. So as a result tissue that’s been transplanted into a body from any other organism are rejected by the host. The public should know that transplant surgery never cures the original disease or issue and never makes the recipient into a healthy person!! These methods have been tried over & over in the research community but all are complete failures. Goes to show that vivisection is pseudo science and is a waste of our money, and especially the animals who suffer greatly for NO reason. Nothing has come out of animal research other than the torture of sentient beings!! If you believe otherwise you’re deluded or brainwashed. Peace!!

We shouldn’t kill animals for food. However, if a human being is dying and an animal part is the only means of survival, the human life should be the priority. This is even more true if the human is a child. Here is what the question is really asking: Your five year old child is dying. They can only be saved by replacing their damaged heart with that of an animal. The animal has been selected and the procedure has been approved. The risks for to the child of having the surgery are minimal. Death is certain without surgery. To move forward, you only need to provide your consent. I believe 99% of vegans in this situation would save their child.

Harvest is ok as long as animal has died from other circumstances- would not condone murder animal for part

Yes, you would still be a vegetarian. The question doesn't ask, but you would technically not be a vegan.

Maybe vegan's would have a more difficult choice here, but for me, I would take it if it meant life or death, perhaps it was taken from an already deceased animal(?)

Very tough choice to make can one live knowing that?

Hard choice when healthy but so tough when your very ill but that’s our belief and we need to live by that

Every life is sacred.

For the moment that he/she does it, they are note vegan. But after that, if they continue the diet of an vegan then he/she is a vegan. But even if I was in the case, I would rather die instead of eating any animal :) .

Yes I would very much say they are vegan. One would ask, what do you place more value on? A single human life or a single animal life? I think just about everyone would say the human life.some important life saving drugs and key bodily organs are derived from animals and cannot yet be replaced with ones artificially produced. but as science, technology and key stem cell research advance, animals may soon be taken out of the equation.

There are artificial body parts...and hopefully we won't need any being vegetarians and vegans.

Vegetarian yes, vegan no

Is I’ll prefer not to kill the animal

Ideally no

In the context of survival, I would personally say yes, if you continue to be vegetarian afterwards/in all other aspects of life. For instance, many medications/vaccines are not vegan or cruelty-free, but for some these are essential. How many people take pain relief? If you are vegetarian because you respect sentient life, you will not be able to continue to advocate for animals and therefore make more of an impact on others if you are dead. You must also respect your own life.

Even simply through buying meat-free alternatives at a supermarket, you provide +1 vote with your money to encourage the supermarket to continue to invest in that product. Nobody is perfect, you can only do the best that you can do!

Question does not clarify if a live animal or already passed away. It depends on it. If i take an organ from an animal already passed away, it should be fine similar to organs from other people who passed away.

It depends on the situation, I guess. I can't imagine killing an animal myself, but if you are in a hospital and you get some animal part as a normal procedure, then what can you do? If this surgery is supposed to save your life, then you would obviously go through with it, right? I think it is all about what is in the head that makes us vegetarian. If we don't appreciate sth but have no choice - still vegetarian, I'd say.

I will prefer to die rather than killing any animals to feed my stomach

No one has got the right to be called a Vegetarian if he/she is not empathetic.

We can't kill animals for us

No, that would make me part other species and guilty of the killing.

Never will I take any part of any animal.

I will not kill the animal for the part and I will not kill .

This is a false question, there is never a human body that needs "an" animal part to survive. If you take it, your are not vegetarian you are deceived, ignorant, or uneducated. 

my view is similar to many native american traditions where I have rituals of showing gratitude to God and animals. I choose to not criticize people who use animal products. I choose gratitude, logic and stewardship. I avoid people who focus on criticizing others more than their own behavior

Since you're not eating the animal, you're still a vegetarian, But you wouldn't be a vegan, because your be contributing to doing harm to that animal.

I believe that according to commonly accepted definition, vegetarians do not EAT animals - so yes, you would still be vegetarian, but definitely not vegan.