Blood Donation

What Parents Should Know About Cord Blood Banking

Millions of parents have paid to bank blood from their infants’ umbilical cords. But storage companies have misled them about the cells’ promise.

By Sarah Kliff

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Promised Cures, Tainted Cells: How Cord Blood Banks Mislead Parents

Families pay thousands of dollars to store their children’s stem cells with the hope of a healthier future. But the cells are rarely useful, and sometimes contaminated.

By Sarah Kliff and Azeen Ghorayshi

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FDA Ends Ban on Blood Donations From Gay and Bisexual Men

A new screening questionnaire would apply to all potential donors.

By Christina Jewett

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Want This Snoopy T-Shirt? You’ll Have to Pay in Blood.

The Red Cross teamed up with “Peanuts” for an April blood drive, and a T-shirt promoting the campaign has become an unexpectedly hot commodity online.

By Callie Holtermann and Madison Malone Kircher