Cord Blood

So today at work a lady came in to talk to us about Cord Blood Registry and research. Being a soon to be mommy, I was very interested in what I was hearing. Pretty much what happens is you either sign up to save your baby's cord blood from the umbilical cord for future, or donate it to a public bank. The blood is then separated and stem cell's isolated. These stem cells are stored until they are needed for extreme and unforeseen illnesses such as cerebral palsy, leukemia, type 1 diabetes and anemia. Then they are transplanted back into the person who is sick. Researches are unsure of exactly how they work but studies are showing great results especially in instances where the persons own blood was used. When donor blood is used, only 4 of the genetic markers have to match compared to 6 in the case of blood marrow transplants. What has pretty much sold me on it was that stem cells from cord blood are not the same as embryotic stem cell research, which I have moral issues with being that most embryos used are from abortions. Also it is good to know that embryotic stem cells have not been at all successful in research as they are not mature stem cells! The only thing that concerns me is the potential for cord blood stem cells to be used in cloning. Thankfully they are not being used for that at the moment. So in the light of all this, I am thinking of donating my baby's cord blood since I cannot afford to have it stored for me ( $1500-2000 + $125 a year). The only center in our area that accepts donations is the Puget Sound Blood Center. I will be praying about this decision.