Do parents have the right to attain stem cells from cord blood?
Umbilical cords used to regarded as waste and not many people paid attention to, or did anything with the umbilical cord. This, however, has been proven to be a wrong assumption. Research has shown that the umbilical cord is a rich source for stem cells and these cells can be used in not only research but also in the treatment of blood and immune system diseases. Cord blood comes from the umbilical cord and it is the cord blood that contains the stem cells that can aid in blood and immune system diseases. This essay will focus on the science behind the process of collecting the cord blood and using it in the treatment of certain blood and immune system diseases. This essay will also focus on whether this process is morally and ethically correct and whether parents have the right to decide if their child’s cord blood should be used or not.
Cord blood is found in the umbilical cord and the placenta after a baby has been born. It is then that doctors, with the consent of the parents of the new-born, will collect blood from the umbilical cord. It is important that the blood be collected as quickly as possible after because it will be seen as medical waste and
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A disadvantage would be the high costs involved in storing the cord blood of your child/ren. Many people cannot afford it and those that can are not sure if the cord blood will ever be used. Another disadvantage would be that the quantity of cord blood received from an umbilical cord as well as the placenta is a small amount. This means there is a small amount of the cord blood to use on a patient. This is why it is harder to treat adults and adolescents as they require more cells. There is however research being conducted on the expansion on stem cells so that in future cord blood can also be used for adults and