Companies, they argue, have a built-in incentive to emphasize the benefits of cord blood banking, tout its potential but unproven uses and downplay how unlikely it is that a family will ever need the blood. No matter what, the company is going to benefit. Many questions remain unanswered, Eckenwiler said. No one knows whether cord blood works better than bone marrow, whether other advances will eliminate the future need for cord blood, or whether the blood contains genetic material that might have caused the disease. Eckenwiler believes they are designed to prey on people's fears.
Pressure is exerted in all sorts of ways.
More often than not, it's very subtle. Leslie and Chris Edmonds had no family history of blood disorders. The Portsmouth couple hadn't heard of cord blood banking, or given any serious thought to such precautions. They had two young children, who seemed perfectly healthy, and a third on the way. Bruises appeared all over Morgan's body.