Massachusetts Law Incorporates Educating Expectant Parents about Lifesaving Technology

SAN BRUNO, Calif., June 15/ US Newswire/-- Expectant parents in Massachusetts can now be assured of the ability to make an informed choice regarding an important birthing option. As a result of an educational provision in the recently passed stem cell legislation (SB 2039), expectant mothers must be provided with information about their one chance to cryogenically store newborn stem cells from their babies’ umbilical cord blood—either for use by their own family or for public donation. Today, the standard practice is to dispose of the cord blood as medical waste without a family’s knowledge or consent.

The new law reflects the recent groundswell of focus and attention on newborn stem cells. At least 15 states have enacted, or have pending, legislation that seeks to increase the number of cord blood donations. The Massachusetts law furthers the rationale that was set forth in the April report released by the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine that underscored the importance of providing expectant parents with a “balanced perspective” on their options to save cord blood.

That integral component was missing from the U.S. House of Representatives bill (HR 2520) that passed two weeks ago and aims to allocate $79 million in funding to set up a national cord blood banking system. The U.S. Senate, now in legislative drafting stages on a similar bill, will have the opportunity to add an educational provision.

“We estimate that less than 10% of the 4 million expectant mothers each year are even aware of their options to save their newborns’ stem cells,” said Stephen Grant, Vice President of Communications for Cord Blood Registry (CBR), the world's largest, most experienced family cord blood bank. “We recognize the need and fully support the development of the public cord blood supply, and we advocate that state laws be put in place to ensure that families are fully informed about the benefits of saving cord blood for their own families, as well as their potential opportunity to donate. The legislation in Massachusetts serves to empower families with all of the facts and should serve as a model for other states that may want to adopt or amend such legislation.”

To date, an estimated 350,000 newborns have their stem cells stored because, if needed, they can offer the best chance of curing or treating serious illness. If the newborn or another family member is ever diagnosed with a disease treatable with stem cells, having immediate access to genetically related stem cells in transplant can result in more than double the survival rate when compared to unrelated donor cord blood transplants. Saving cord blood can also help a family avoid the agonizing and often futile search for a suitable stem cell donor. Many of the emerging regenerative therapy applications using stem cells, such as for treating heart disease or Alzheimer’s, involve the use of one’s own stem cells.

About CBR
CBR is the world’s largest newborn stem cell bank. CBR has been collecting and processing newborn stem cells for family banking since 1995, with profitable operations since 1999. There are over 300,000 units of cord blood cells preserved for client families at CBR’s state-of-the-art facility in Tucson, Arizona. The company’s research and development is focused on advancing the collection, processing, and storage methods to optimize quality and cell yield. Additionally, CBR facilitates collection of donated research samples, made available for the nearly 200 research programs worldwide that are focused on stem cell expansion and cell-based therapies. For more information, visit http://www.cordblood.com, or call 1-888-CORD BLOOD. Cord Blood Registry is a registered trademark of Cbr Systems, Inc.

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