title: [Stem cells from cord blood: legal and ethical questions of transplantation and banking].
abstract: Transplantation and banking of stem cells from cord blood raise different legal and ethical questions. Who owns the cord blood? Does transplantation infringe the physical integrity of the neonate? And if so, who has to give her or his consent? In any case, legal representation by the neonate's guardians has to be guided by the "welfare of the child". Banking stem cells from cord blood may be private or public. Private banking causes difficulties concerning the right to health care and the issues of justice and equity. Public banking too raises complex legal issues, e.g. protection of potential recipients from life-threating illnesses at the one hand and the right of the donor to autonomy in disclosing information at the other.
authors.affiliation: Juristische Fakultät, Universität Basel, Basel.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seelmann
mesh_terms: D001771:Blood Banks / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D001782:Blood Donors; D002651:Child Advocacy; D036101:Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*