Cord Blood Bank Sued By Two States Over Misleading Advertising
The company Cord Blood Registry is being sued by the attorneys general of Texas and Arizona over claims about the medical value of storing newborn cord blood, while charging new parents thousands of dollars. The lawsuits ask CBR to remove the false ads and repay families.
Two states are suing a company that stores newborn stem cells, claiming that it has misled parents about the medical value of its expensive services. The company, Cord Blood Registry, houses more than a million samples of umbilical cords in Tucson, Ariz., charging families thousands of dollars in fees. CBR claims on its website that keeping those cells on ice is a 鈥渙nce-in-a-lifetime opportunity鈥 because they have the 鈥減otential to treat 80+ conditions.鈥 (Kliff and Ghorayshi, 3/25)
In abortion updates 鈥
Sen. Josh Hawley鈥檚 (R-Mo.) bill to revoke the Food and Drug Administration鈥檚 (FDA) approval of the drug mifepristone for use in terminating pregnancies is picking up Senate Republican support, as the push to stop its shipment across state lines is becoming a top priority of the anti-abortion movement. Hawley鈥檚 bill, which would make distributing and labeling mifepristone for abortions a violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, has quickly picked up the support of three other GOP senators: Sens. John Cornyn (Texas), Ted Budd (N.C.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.). (Bolton, 3/25)
Two Miami Valley state lawmakers want to compel abortion providers in Ohio to inform patients that they might be able to 鈥渞everse鈥 their decision after taking the first of two doses in a medication abortion. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved such a treatment, and the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists says the treatment is 鈥渘ot based on science鈥 and does 鈥渘ot meet clinical standards.鈥 (Kreemer, 3/24)
A Coastal Georgia district attorney and a Superior Court judge said Monday they were doubtful that enough evidence exists to move forward with a malice murder charge against a 31-year-old Camden County mother arrested earlier this month for an alleged illegal abortion, paving the way for a possible reduction or dismissal of charges. (Gibbs, 3/25)
The University of Oregon recently announced the school will begin offering abortion pills to its students beginning in the fall.聽The Lund Report, an independent outlet that covers health news for Oregon and southwest Washington, reported the school will start offering mifepristone and misoprostol to students at the university health center only. (de Guidice, 3/25)