Why is cord blood controversial?

Why is cord blood controversial?

It’s important to note that cord blood stem cells are not the same thing as embryonic stem cells, which are controversial because obtaining them requires a human embryo to be destroyed. Experts say cord blood cells have much the same potential as embryonic stem cells without the ethical concerns.

Is it ethical to use umbilical cord stem cells?

Although there are no ethical problems in principle with the use of stem cells from the umbilical cord blood, there are social ethical doubts with the banking of these stem cells for autologous use without any currently foreseeable medical advantage by commercial blood banks. Also in this case subsidiarity is valid.

What are the issues with using stem cells from umbilical cords?

A stem cell transplant using an individual’s own cord blood (called an autologous transplant) cannot be used for genetic disorders such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia, because the genetic mutations that cause these disorders are present in the baby’s cord blood.

Are cord blood stem cells ethical?

Cord blood is also a potential source of stem and progenitor cells with possible therapeutic applications. Nonetheless, collection and storage of cord blood raise ethical concerns with regard to patient safety, autonomy, and potential for conflict of interest.

What are the ethical concerns of using stem cells from newborn babies?

However, human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research is ethically and politically controversial because it involves the destruction of human embryos. In the United States, the question of when human life begins has been highly controversial and closely linked to debates over abortion.

Is it worth saving umbilical cord blood?

Key points to remember. Doctors do not recommend that you bank cord blood on the slight chance that your baby will need stem cells someday. If your baby were to need stem cells, he or she would probably need stem cells from someone else rather than his or her own stem cells.

Who do you think owns cord blood and why?

Although laws have yet to establish this, legal experts consider the cord blood to be the property of the baby. But just as parents must make decisions in the best interests of their infants and children, so, too, do they become the guardians of this potentially lifesaving material.

Should I save my baby’s stem cells?

Key points to remember Doctors do not recommend that you bank cord blood on the slight chance that your baby will need stem cells someday. If your baby were to need stem cells, he or she would probably need stem cells from someone else rather than his or her own stem cells.

Why was stem cell research banned?

Bush and the Stem Cell Research Funding Ban. In 2001, President George W. Bush restricted federal funding for research on stem cells obtained from human embryos because the technology required the destruction of human life.

Why should embryonic stem cells be banned?

Opponents argue that the research is unethical, because deriving the stem cells destroys the blastocyst, an unimplanted human embryo at the sixth to eighth day of development. As Bush declared when he vetoed last year’s stem cell bill, the federal government should not support “the taking of innocent human life.”

Do parents keep umbilical cord?

Newborn babies normally leave the hospital with the stump of their umbilical cord still attached. Between five and 15 days after the baby’s birth, it will dry out, turn black and drop off. Some parents decide to keep the remainder of the cord as a keepsake and store it in a special box or scrapbook.

Which president banned stem cells?

On August 9, 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush introduced a ban on federal funding for research on newly created human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines. The policy was intended as a compromise and specified that research on lines created prior to that date would still be eligible for funding.

What is the stem cell controversy?

The stem cell controversy is the consideration of the ethics of research involving the development and use of human embryos. Most commonly, this controversy focuses on embryonic stem cells. Not all stem cell research involves human embryos.

What is umbilical cord blood stem cell storage technique?

Nowadays, adult stem cells, isolated from the bone marrow and umbilical cord blood, are utilized for potential treatment of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and Parkinson disease. Many parents opt for umbilical cord blood storage technique, as a security for the child.

What is the difference between umbilical cord stem cells and stem cells?

In contrast, stem cells recovered postnatally from the umbilical cord, including the umbilical cord blood cells, amnion/placenta, umbilical cord vein, or umbilical cord matrix cells, are a readily available and inexpensive source of cells that are capable of forming many different cell types (i.e., they are “multipotent”).

What does the Catholic Church say about stem cell research?

The Church supports research that involves stem cells from adult tissues and the umbilical cord, as it “involves no harm to human beings at any state of development.”