Religion and (medical) Drugs

The Health Department are generally always trying to tailor around their Patient's need ( I know that this does not always happen).

So earlier this year, the publication that was printed:
Religion and Belief: A practical guide for the NHS.

I'm just scanning through some writing, and it says here:

In the United Kingdom, the right to follow your religion and beliefs is protected under article 9 of the Human Rights Act 1998, which covers freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.

I didn't know this but people who follow the Jehovah's Witness refuse blood products because of their beliefs.

Anyway, coming back to what I really made this thread for:

- It occured to me just now (yes, I am slow), that there are many vaccinations I have taken in the past.

- It never occured to me at the time whilst having these injections about whether what is going inside me is halaal or haraam.

- Reading this paper, I find that the MMR jab, is a Porcine drug.

- A porcine drug is something from a Pig.

- Iv had the MMR jab twice in my life.

- Also, alcohol is found in creams and formulations.

- In 2007, there was a debate, after someone from the Head of the Islamic Medical Association and UK NHS psychiatrist, and also Muslim advised British Muslims not to have the MMR jab, because it was 'full of haraam substances'.

So what do you think people?

1) If you dont have the vaccinations, you are yourself or your children are left vulnerable to these diseases.

2) However, if you have the vaccinations, you are inserting haraam products into your system.

What is more important?

I didn't know it was porcine based, nor if the drug even existed back in my days. (Were the drugs not administered separately at one point, where they may have had a different composition?)

If there is another choice, it should probably be taken, but there is great harm in refusing totally the medication - to the baby in the singular and the community at large as I-don't-know-why-or-how but I have read that such babies can spread the diseases to those who had previously been vaccinated.

EDIT - from in Scotland from 2003:

...One of the two triple measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines used by GPs in Britain are made using porcine gelatin, which is forbidden in Islam. Public health officials in Glasgow admitted that they had only begun informing parents in the last week. Strict Muslims can only use medicines containing derivatives of pork in a medical emergency when there is no other option.

So there is a halaal alternative, and chances are atleast in communities where there are many muslims, the halaal alternative is offered.

In other areas, there should be a choice, as the article from 2003 suggests, the parents are to be informed, so maybe they can choose to get the other one?

In either case, a baby is sinless, so it has not sinned by getting the vaccine, and also, in cases of need or of ignorance, the parents may not have done wrong either.

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.