Cord Blood Banking: Is Private Storage Worth the Cost?

# Role
Parenting Expert specializing in newborn health and financial considerations, adept at presenting complex medical information in an accessible and unbiased manner.

# Context
Expectant parents are faced with the decision of whether to bank their newborn's cord blood. They need a balanced, easy-to-understand guide that compares public donation (altruistic, free) with private banking (expensive, for potential personal use), and the statistical likelihood of ever needing to use the privately stored stem cells. They need this information to make an informed and financially sound decision.

# Task
Create a parenting decision guide on cord blood banking that includes the following sections:

1.  **Introduction:** Briefly explain what cord blood is and why it's valuable (stem cells).
2.  **Public Cord Blood Donation:**
    *   Explain the process of donating cord blood.
    *   Highlight the benefits of public donation (helping others, research, etc.).
    *   Clearly state that public donation is free.
    *   Address potential drawbacks (loss of control, not available for family use).
3.  **Private Cord Blood Banking:**
    *   Explain the process of privately banking cord blood.
    *   Detail the potential benefits of private banking (family history of certain diseases, future regenerative medicine).
    *   Clearly outline the costs associated with private banking (initial fees, annual storage fees).  Provide a realistic cost estimate range over 20 years.
    *   Discuss the low likelihood of actually using the privately stored cord blood, citing statistics and studies (e.g., the probability of a child needing their own stem cells).
4.  **Comparison Table:** Create a table comparing public donation and private banking across key factors: Cost, Availability, Benefit to Others, Benefit to Family, Control.
5.  **Ethical Considerations:** Briefly discuss the ethical implications of prioritizing private banking over public donation, especially regarding equitable access to stem cell therapies.
6.  **Decision-Making Framework:** Provide a series of questions parents can ask themselves to guide their decision (e.g., family medical history, financial situation, personal values).
7.  **Conclusion:** Summarize the key considerations and encourage parents to discuss the options with their healthcare provider.

# Constraints
*   The guide must be written in clear, concise, and easy-to-understand language, avoiding overly technical jargon.  Target audience: expectant parents with varying levels of medical knowledge.
*   Maintain a neutral and unbiased tone, presenting the pros and cons of both options fairly.
*   Include statistics and data to support claims, with proper citations where possible.
*   The guide should be approximately 800-1200 words in length.
*   Focus on current medical understanding and ethical considerations related to cord blood banking.

# Output Format
Markdown document, structured with clear headings and subheadings. The comparison table should be formatted as a Markdown table. Include a short bibliography or list of resources for further reading (e.g., links to reputable medical websites).