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Senator Jackie Speier Promotes New State Law to Save Lives and Prevent Birth Defects

October 30, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO -State Senator Jackie Speier was joined today by medical experts from UCSF, the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program, and cord blood transplant recipients, all in a collective effort to help raise awareness of a new maternal and child health law designed to help save lives and prevent future birth defects.

"Knowledge and access are power," said Speier (D-San Francisco/San Mateo). "It is vitally important that California's expectant families have access to the latest technologies in prenatal care. Pregnant women have the right to up-to-date information and quality testing, but our current programs are dated and substandard. I hope this new law will not only help inform pregnant women of the value of various scientific advances, such as the benefits of umbilical cord blood, but also help restore California's reputation as a leader in the delivery of prenatal care and birth defects prevention."

SB 1555, the Maternal and Child Health Advancement Act, contains three important provisions: 1) It creates a state public awareness program to inform Californians about the value of public and private cord blood banking; (2) It expands California's prenatal testing program to provide earlier and more accurate test results for pregnant women; and (3) Updates the responsibilities of the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program to ensure the continuation of lifesaving discoveries into the causes of birth defects and prematurity.

In touting the benefits of cord blood in the treatment of cancer and 70 blood diseases, Speier was joined by members of the Chang family, whose infant son Titus was successfully given a cord blood transplant to treat aplastic anemia, a condition which stopped Titus's body from producing enough new blood cells. "Titus has since fully recovered and his success story underscores the potential to save other persons with life-threatening blood diseases," Speier noted.

"Of the more than half million births in the state of California, more than 90 percent of the stem cells from cord blood get discarded as medical waste. From a public health perspective and that of individuals suffering with illnesses that could be treated with cord blood stem cells; this is a tragedy - and a situation we must change," said Tom Moore, Chief Executive Officer of Cord Blood Registry. Cord Blood Registry has contributed the first $50,000 to help fund the Umbilical Cord Blood Community Awareness Campaign. The funds will help promote both public and private banking options.

"Umbilical cord blood transplants have grown from one percent to 20 percent of all unrelated marrow transplants since 1988. As more people become aware of its potential to treat life-threatening diseases, the number of cord blood transplants is expected to grow 50 percent within five years," Jeffrey Chell, M.D. and Chief Executive Officer of the National Marrow Donor program, said in a written statement sent for today's press conference.

SB 1555 was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in September 2006, and will take effect on January 1, 2007. It includes the following provisions.

  • Requires the Department of Health Services to create a public awareness campaign (using private funding) about both public and private umbilical cord banking options in an effort to improve the lives of persons with over 70 blood diseases. The Institute of Medicine estimates that cord blood could help treat nearly 12,000 Americans a year with blood diseases that are currently unable to find bone marrow matches The state campaign will raise awareness of options, including donations, to increase the nation's cord blood inventory.

  • Updates the state's prenatal screening program to current practice standards, including testing for inhibin, a test for Down syndrome. This advanced screening will reduce the need for further testing, including invasive and costly tests, such as amniocentesis.

  • Stabilizes the funding of the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program so that it can continue in its mission making life-saving discoveries, such as finding the link between women having insufficient folic acid before conception and early in pregnancy, and serious neural tube birth defects.
"Twenty years ago, California was the first state in the nation to establish the state's AFP prenatal screening program. We are now 50th to add the latest tests, which have been the standard of practice for pregnancy care for the last five years," Speier said. "This new law will bring about long-awaited improvements to advance medical care for not only expectant families, but all Californians."

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View News & Media Disclaimer
Banking cord blood does not guarantee that the cells will provide a cure or be applicable for every situation. For inherited genetic conditions, the child will not be able to use his or her own stem cells. A matched sibling's stem cells would be the first choice. Ultimate use will be determined by the treating physician. Treatment for brain injury and juvenile diabetes is experimental and currently requires the use of your own cord blood. Medical treatments using family banked cord tissue are in early research and are not available today; there is no guarantee that therapies will be developed in the future.
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