British may make babies to donate blood

LONDON -- British couples will be able to create a child to donate umbilical cord blood to a sick sibling, under a ruling announced Thursday that allows them to select test-tube embryos whose tissue type matches that of the ailing child. But the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority drew the line at allowing the creation of donors for bone marrow transplants because of the pain and risk to the baby.

Umbilical cord blood contains plenty of stem cells, which are used in the treatment of immune diseases, including leukemia.

It is extracted with a syringe from a baby's detached umbilical cord a few minutes after birth.

Couples undergoing in vitro fertilization may have their embryos screened for hereditary diseases.