As an obstetrician-gynecologist who sees tremendous potential for both public and private banking systems, I felt the editorial “The Case Against Private Umbilical Cord Blood Banking” by Drs. Ecker and Greene1 left me wanting to see the arguments representing the other side. I am an advocate of a balanced approach. Specifically, I have questions about the accuracy of present-day and future calculations regarding the odds of use and the ability to find a useful cord blood match in the general donor pool.

In addition, I question the omission of patient choice. With 4 million births in this country each year, why should a family wait for the development of a public system when a private option is available today? Private umbilical cord blood banking gives everyone the option to do something with their cord blood rather than just throwing it away. Informing obstetric patients about the risks and benefits of all their banking options is the only way to ensure that our patients make an informed decision about this potentially lifesaving resource.