Saudi Arabia: Young Saudi couples turning to stem cell procedure for kids

October 30, 2006

Vaccination against disease is almost universally accepted as a positive step in health care. The recipient might not ever be exposed to the disease, but the preventative measures are in place — just in case. It is insurance in the future health of the recipient.

The next stage in preventative medicine and one which has arisen from controversy and has now moved out into the mainstream of preventative techniques is stem cell banking. Stem cells came into public prominence after the discovery that these basic building blocks of animal life could be harvested from embryos and used to grow organs and — just possibly — whole humans. Lost in the furious ethical debate was the fact that stem cells could also be retrieved from the blood contained in the umbilical cord — normally discarded at birth — of the new-born infant. (The Muslim News)