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Cord blood banking: ethical implications.

AJN October 2001 Vol. 101, No. 10 55 One of the newer decisions facing prospective parents is whether or not to store blood extracted from their newborn’s umbilical cord. The valuable portion of this blood is the stem cells, which can be separated from the specimen and frozen for future use in research or by the donor, a blood relative, or an unrelated person. Estimates of the number of stem cell transplantations performed to date vary from several hundred to more than 1,000; most have been performed to treat childhood cancers. Because there are almost four million births in the United States every year, storing umbilical cord blood could create an abundant source of stem cells for transplantation. Scientists believe that, in addition to treating hematologic diseases, metabolic defects, immunodeficiencies, and malignancies, infant stem cells might even be used for gene therapy. Despite some favorable results from transplantations thus far, the practice of storing umbilical cord blood is not without serious ethical ramifications. Saving lives using previously discarded material has a strong emotional appeal, but as health professionals we need to look past dramatic success stories to the wide Cord Blood Banking: Ethical Implications