Press Room

Contact: Director of Legislative Affairs Matt Sande
(262) 796-1111, (262) 352-0890 or info@prolifewisconsin.org

Assembly Passes Cord Blood Donation Bill
Cord blood an ethical and proven alternative to embryonic stem cells,
says Pro-Life Wisconsin

The State Assembly passed legislation Thursday that will facilitate the donation of newborn umbilical cord blood in Wisconsin.

On a 79-19 vote, Assembly Bill 270, authored by Representative Steve Wieckert (R-Appleton), passed the Assembly. The bill would require the principal prenatal health care provider of a pregnant woman to offer her the option to donate blood extracted from the umbilical cord of her newborn child to a blood bank. The offer of an option to donate only applies if the donation is at no monetary cost to the woman, her health insurance provider, or to the hospital in which the delivery will occur for collection or storage.

“We applaud the State Assembly for passing this life-affirming bill,” said Matt Sande, director of legislative affairs for Pro-Life Wisconsin. “Ethically unproblematic, clinically proven cord blood stem cells are adult-type stem cells that do not require the destruction of human embryos and that have successfully treated many life-threatening diseases. This bill will help increase the available inventory of cord blood units in Wisconsin and the nation. It will save lives, and we thank Representative Wieckert for his strong effort in moving the bill forward,” said Sande.

Medical conditions that can be treated with cord blood include certain types of leukemia, disorders such as Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple myeloma, breast cancer and sickle-cell anemia. Cord blood is especially powerful in treating sickle cell anemia, a painful blood condition damaging organs and tissues caused by abnormally shaped blood cells.

“Because sickle cell anemia disproportionately affects African-Americans who face difficulty in finding a match, a larger inventory of genetically diverse cord blood units will greatly benefit these patients,” said Sande.

A South Korean woman paralyzed for twenty years is now walking again after scientists repaired her damaged spine using stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood. Thirty-seven-year-old Hwang Mi-Soon told the media she considered her ability to walk nothing short of a miracle. “I never dreamed of getting to my feet again,” she said. Another remarkable success story is Adam Susser of Florida, a child with cerebral palsy who was cortically blind and could not speak prior to receiving umbilical cord stem cell therapy. He can now both see and speak.

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