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Why hasn't the government started using umbilical cord blood for cancer treatments?
Umbilical cord blood is thrown away and could be used to save thousands who can't find a suitable match. I'm sure a program like that would cost millions, but they send that much to other countries. I bring this up because they started a DNA database of all children born in Texas beginning in 2004 without telling anyone they were doing it using afterbirth and cord blood. There is a program that saves & freezes cord blood for your child, if you have the money.
I know for a fact that they collect the after birth and cord blood in Texas for DNA testing. The general public did not know that it had been done for 2 years. If you let the hospital dispose of it you no longer own it and the govt does as it damn well pleases. I think Susan Combs was responsible for the law or general rule that was put in place. I guarantee you that it happens in other states. They did it for our OWN GOOD. The ACLU did nothing. If you throw it away, it's their property. Sad but true in Texas.
3 Answers
- ?Lv 78 years agoFavorite Answer
Where do you see that they were taking DNA without consent?
That would be a violation of the fourth amendment of the Constitution (not to mention a couple hundred violations of 45 CFR 46 of Federal Code (law), and I haven't found anything about it....The ACLU would be all over that one....
If we lose the rights to our genetic material, we are genuinely screwed.
Most of those cord blood bank programs are started by hospitals - for profit.
Edit: I found it - http://www.texascivilrightsproject.org/1822/texas-... whatever fool wrote the law that says they can collect blood without consent needs serious prison time.
Edit: I assure you, it was not done for any individuals "good" - people are being exploited and profited from, and there can be serious consequences. If they have a childs DNA, they also can identify all the decedents of that child. The potential for abuses are horrifying. If they destroy the samples themselves it means nothing - what did they do with the data? That's what matters. Destroying the samples is a joke.
Sorry I didn't reply earlier, I wrote hastily as I was leaving for work.
- TrueSnapdragonLv 78 years ago
Umbilical cord blood transplants are used when applicable. They are not the first choice when it comes to stem cell transplants, because it takes blood from several umbilical cords to equal what a typical bone marrow transplant would need.
People are able to donate their child's umbilical cord blood at birth. There is no fee for storage when donating. This is a personal choice.
As far as banking you child's cord blood for future use, this is actually NOT recommended by people in the pediatric oncology community. It is very unlikely that a child's own cord blood can be transplanted back into him or her later. It could possibly be used for a sibling, but not for the child it came from.
Source(s): Work in pediatric oncology. - ?Lv 45 years ago
uhm....i'm no longer positive what the question is...i can allow you to comprehend that as a pregnant woman I really were made nicely conscious of the superb issues that cord blood banking can do....regrettably, i won't be able to have the funds for the each and every year prices of banking. If donation is on the marketplace, i will fortuitously donate at the same time as my infant is born.
