Issued on behalf of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship/Christian Concern for Our Nation (CCFON)
Press Release
For Immediate Release
7th January 2008
Hope for the Embryo – Umbilical Cord Blood Bill
The Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship welcome and support a Bill to encourage umbilical cord blood to be donated at birth so that it can be stored for public use. The Bill will be presented to Parliament on Tuesday 8th January by David Burrowes MP.
Umbilical cord blood can be used for the treatment of diseases and for further research of new treatment methods using cord blood stem cells - providing an alternative to embryonic stem cell research.
The Bill aims to raise awareness of the value of umbilical cord blood and encourage mothers to donate cord blood at birth.
Andrea Minichiello Williams, Public Policy Director at the LCF said:
“Currently only 3 NHS hospitals collect umbilical cord blood and the public is largely unaware of its benefits. This Bill will raise awareness of the benefits, but additionally it will take a step towards protecting embryos from being used in research by highlighting the benefits of using umbilical cord blood stem cells instead. It further deters the creation of animal-human hybrid embryos (the creation of which is proposed under The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, currently in the House of Lords), to be created for embryonic research- this is clearly unethical and strikes at the very heart of what it means to be human, removing the special status and dignity of the human embryo.
Human embryonic stem cell research has failed to produce any treatments or cures in the last 17 years, and it is likely that hybrid embryos will be equally as unsuccessful. In comparison, cord blood stem cells have been successfully used in treatment of diseases, including helping to obtain bone marrow matches for children suffering from Leukaemia. In total 85 diseases have been successfully treated using cord blood stem cells and there is the potential to treat more.
We hope Parliament will embrace this Bill, that the Government will invest in developing cord stem cell banks across NHS hospitals, and that the use of cord blood stem cells over embryonic stem cells will be realised.”
ENDS.
For Further Information
Andrea Williams, Public Policy Director, Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship.
Phone: 0771 259 1164; E-mail:
Paul Eddy (PR)
Phone: 01202 522177; 07851 007 187.