With the investigation of embryonic stem cells as potential treatment for diseases, stem cells have become very controversial. Parents wonder if banking their infant’s cord blood will be controversial. The short answer is no. Cord blood stem cells are used to nourish a baby while the baby is in-utero. Once the baby is delivered, the cord blood stem cells typically become medical waste.
This “medical waste” can be saved to treat a number of different diseases and is not controversial at all. The controversy revolves around the use of embryonic stem cells which are grown from existing embryos. Many religions believe that these stem cells compose a living being, making the use of them unethical. Since cord blood stem cells do not develop into a human, there is no controversy.
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