Isn't Stem Cell Research Controversial?
Yes.  But what is controversial is the way in which different stem cells are obtained.  Embryonic stem cells require the destruction of the embryo in order to be used for testing and research.  Cord blood is considered a source of ADULT stem cells like bone marrow.  Because cord blood stem cells are collected after the birth of a healthy infant and pose no risk to the donating mother or baby, there are no ethical issues or controversy connected with the use of these cells.  Not all cord blood units collected will meet the criteria for banking and therefore not stored for patient use.  The most common reasons a unit is not eligible for use in transplantation is because the amount of cord blood collected is too small and/or contains too few cells.  If this is the case, the blood will be discarded or utilized for research purposes that have been approved by the Saint Luke's Cord Blood Bank.  We do not participate in any activities that are designed to promote human cloning or creation of human embryos for the specific purpose of producing embryonic stem cells for research.