Cord Blood Law Passed

In Florida, a new law has been passed that will require prenatal care workers to inform their patients about cord blood banking. The bill, drafted by Governor Rick Scott, was legislated this week and seeks to educate expecting parents about the benefits of banking their children's cord blood.

In Florida, over 200 000 babies are born each year. However, many parents do not choose to bank or donate their children's cord blood. The new law seeks to change this sad fact, by informing parents about all of the potential advantages there are to storing cord blood.

"We want to make sure families are informed about storage options for this valuable source of potentially life-saving stem cells," said Senator Anitere Flores, the bill's sponsor.

Across the United States, 23 states have now passed bills that set out to inform parents about cord blood banking. The more parents who know about cord blood, the more donations are likely to occur. As a result, there will be more donors in stem cell registries, and patients with blood diseases will be able to find transplant matches more quickly.

Cord blood banking is becoming increasingly popular across the United States, but many parents are still unaware of its benefits. It is likely that more states will begin to draft their own cord blood banking legislations in order to increase the number of donors across the country.
 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/health/os-cfb-health-0815-20110814,0,7832976.story