Every Parent Has the Right to Know

PublicAffairs — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:49:00 GMT

Congresswoman Jackie Speier, a longtime champion of women’s and children’s health issues, introduced landmark legislation on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives this week that advocates for the right of every parent to understand the value of cord blood stem cells and the ability to preserve them.

Designated the Cord Blood Education and Awareness Act (H.R. 2107), this landmark legislation takes a much-needed step forward in addressing a fundamental problem: expectant parents are poorly informed about cord blood banking. In fact, a comprehensive study of obstetric patients’ knowledge of cord blood banking published in the Journal of Reproductive Health found that only 14 percent of patients were educated about cord blood banking by their nurse or obstetrician. Of those patients that indicated some familiarity of the topic, 74 percent described themselves as “minimally informed!”

Given what we now know about the many available uses of cord blood stem cells, plus the great potential they hold for future regenerative medicine therapies targeting conditions that have no cure today, Representative Speier understands that providing better education and resources is a public health priority.

The Act includes several provisions intended to provide much-needed information about cord blood banking, including:
• A public education campaign that highlights the value of cord blood stem cells, provides details of public and private banking options, and average costs associated with cord blood banking.
• Creation of a patient informed consent document enabling expectant mothers to acknowledge in writing that they’ve received balanced information about cord blood banking options from their healthcare professional.
• Development of professional materials aimed at educating healthcare providers who offer prenatal services to pregnant women.
• Grants for targeted education about cord blood banking, particularly for people with certain conditions who may benefit from new stem cell therapies and minorities who may have trouble finding available public cord blood samples.

We believe this legislation will ultimately save lives and help further the remarkable progress we’re already seeing in the use of cord blood stem cells for regenerative medicine purposes. While cord blood legislation has been enacted in 21 states, specifics vary from state to state. The Cord Blood Education and Awareness Act would ensure that every pregnant mother in America has the same level of support to make an informed decision about whether to preserve her child’s cord blood for family use, donate the cells for public use or consent to allowing them to be disposed of as medical waste.

We encourage everyone to show their support. Contact your Representative of Congress and encourage them to support the Cord Blood Education and Awareness Act of 2009! For information on how to contact your Congressperson, visit the U.S. House of Representatives “Write Your Representative” site or call 202-224-3121.

CBR press release in support of the Cord Blood Education and Awareness Act of 2009

Rep. Speier’s official statement on the Cord Blood Education and Awareness Act of 2009

The Stem Cell Source : Cord Blood Education and Awareness Act

Every Parent Has the Right to Know