Rachel Inbar

Is Commercial Cord Blood Banking Ethical? Rachel Inbar

You're expecting a baby. A whole new human being who completely depends on you to do everything possible to give her or him the best chance at life. You've carefully chosen the safest car seat, the crib with the best reviews and are determined that your baby be breastfed... so, how could you not use the single opportunity you have to bank his or her cord blood too? I mean, what if 10 years down the line your child has an illness that can be cured using it - and you didn't bank. How are you going to feel then? This paper, written as a seminar paper for a business ethics course, cites over 40 sources, with the goal of exploring the ethical aspects of commercial cord blood banking. The paper begins with an overview of what cord blood is, its status (is it medical waste or a valuable treasure?), its possible uses, alternatives to use of autologous cord blood (cord blood from the patient herself), and likelihood of use. It goes on to discuss ethical aspects using guidelines of medical ethics, Kant's Categorical Imperative and Rawl's Theory of Justice - and how commercial cord blood banking complies and does not comply to each. It discusses ethical questions that arise, including the effects of manipulative advertising on informed consent and the exploitation of vulnerability. The paper concludes with a clear conclusion that will help any parent make the informed decision s/he could not make without having the information presented here - a decision that can be made with no regrets or second thoughts. The writer of the paper was highly commended for her comprehensive approach the topic and awarded the grade of 99.