Press Room

TO: Members, Wisconsin State Legislature

FROM: Matt Sande, Director of Legislative Affairs
Kirby Brant, Legislative Attorney

SUBJECT: Support for LRB 2052/1 and LRB 2198/1– Donation of newborn umbilical cord blood
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Pro-Life Wisconsin strongly urges you to sign on as a co-sponsor to companion legislation currently under circulation that 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. Ethically uncontroversial, clinically proven cord blood stem cells are adult-type stem cells that have been used to treat many life-threatening diseases. This legislation will help to increase the available inventory of cord blood units in Wisconsin and the nation.

Under the provisions of LRB 2052/1, authored by Representative Wieckert, and LRB 2198/1, authored by Senator Leibham, 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. Also, the offer must be made before the potential donor reaches her 35th week of pregnancy.

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 the disease disproportionately affects African-Americans who face difficulty in finding a match, a larger inventory of diverse cord blood units will be of great benefit to these patients.

Amazingly, 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.

Thank you for your consideration of this important legislation. The deadline for co-sponsorship of LRB 2052/1 (Wieckert) and LRB 2198/1 (Leibham) is Wednesday, March 16th. If you have any questions, please call Matt Sande or Kirby Brant at (262) 796-1111.