The spanish legal regime regarding the umbilical cord blood

Abstract

Umbilical cord blood is valuable to fight certain diseases. The product is collected immediately after the birth, and stored in public or private banks until its utilization in the medical treatment of the donor himself, relatives of this one or patients no related to him. In Spain, the Regulation that ruled the matter is replaced in november 2006 by a new one that transposes an european Directive of 2004 into Spanish law. This one gave liberty to the member States to decide several questions of importance. The rule now in force, following its predecessor, is based on the voluntary and free character of the donations but its most controversial aspect refers to banks regulation. It admitted the concurrence, together with the public ones, of a new category of establishments that, as the private ones, will preserve blood for use by the donor himself but not with total