To Abstain from Causing Death and other meaty matters

Is it morally acceptable to eat meat, thereby causing animals to be killed? Does Buddhism's first precept to abstain from causing death allow Buddhists to eat meat? For the many people who choose not to eat meat for a variety of reasons, a story I read on the BBC News yesterday might cause them some concern.

According to "Many drugs 'non-vegetarian and need better labelling' ", about a quarter of the those who "preferred not to consume animal products in their day-to-day lives" (2012, ¶ 10) do not realize that when they take drugs they are often also consuming animal products, which might conflict with their moral, religious or other cultural beliefs. The article says that although less animal products are used in the manufacture of drugs than in the past, they are still often used as non-active ingredients which hold the active ingredients together, such as gelatine.  The authors of a recent report published in the Postgraduate Medical Journal suggest that clearer labelling by drug companies would help people make better informed decisions when choosing their drugs.

Happily, I'm not a vegetarian for religious or other reasons, so this is not something that worries me much personally, but I can understand that it would be a cause of concern for the many people who do choose not to eat meat or use the products of killed animals for whatever reason. I was a little surprised that so many drugs do still use products from dead animals, but when I read the article, it also sounds right: gelatin is a very useful thing in cooking, and it does have properties that would be useful in making drugs for people to use. And if people prefer not to cause the death  of animals by eating them, wearing their skins, or whatever, then they should be able to find out in advance whether some medication contains boiled up bits of dead animals.

It sometimes surprises me how serious, and even controversial, the use of animals and animal products can be; many Buddhists, for example, think that they should not eat meat because it breaks their first precept, whereas others are keen to eat steak and other delicious meats. I think that the majority of Buddhists, who don't eat meat, correctly understand and apply the first precept.  When I was at university some years ago (quite a few years now), one of my best friends was a serious vegetarian, and it was always a bit worrying inviting her to a dinner party. She didn't just avoid obvious meaty things like steak, but would also ask about such things as the base for the soup, which she would not eat if it was made from tasty duck bone stock. But the pleasure of her company easily made up for the need to prepare something special for when she came to eat with us. And her vegetarian diet certainly had no harmful effects on her health.

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References

Many drugs 'non-vegetarian and need better labelling'. (2012, February 28). BBC News. Retrieved March 1, 2012 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17182625