Husband, Wife Discover They're Twins

[Kor37 9]

Husband, Wife Discover They're Twins

By THOMAS WAGNER,AP

Posted: 2008-01-11 17:24:15

Filed Under: Weird News

LONDON (Jan. 11) - Twins who were separated at birth got married without realizing they were brother and sister, a lawmaker said, urging more information be provided on birth certificates for adopted children.

 

A court annulled the British couple's union after they discovered their true relationship, Lord David Alton said.

 

"Everyone has a right to knowledge about their lineage, genealogy and identity. And if they don't, then it will lead to cases of incest," Alton told The Associated Press during a telephone interview Friday.

 

Alton first revealed details of the unusual case last month during a five-hour debate about a bill that would change regulations about human embryology.

 

"I was recently involved in a conversation with a High Court judge who was telling me of a case he had dealt with," Alton said according to a transcript of the Dec. 10 debate. "It involved the normal birth of twins who were separated at birth and adopted by separate parents.

 

"They were never told that they were twins. They met later in life and felt an inevitable attraction, and the judge had to deal with the consequences of the marriage that they entered into and all the issues of their separation."

 

Alton gave no additional details and would not reveal the name of the judge who told him about the case.

 

The High Court's Family Division declined to discuss or confirm Alton's account about the twins.

 

Alton, an independent legislator who works at Liverpool's John Moores University, said the siblings' inadvertent marriage raises the wider issue of the importance of strengthening the rights of children to know the identities of their biological parents, including kids who were born through in vitro fertilization.

 

Under British law, only a mother has to be named on a birth certificate. Such certificates also are not required to identify births that result from IVF or to identify the sperm donor.

 

In addition, British law does not require parents to ever tell children that they were the result of donated sperm.

 

Alton believes this should be changed.

 

Alton said he favors an amendment to the Human Fertility and Embryology bill - which is still being debated in the House of Lords - that would require birth certificates of children born from donated sperm to say that and to identify the genetic father.

 

Referring to the twins' case, he said: "If you start trying to conceal someone's identity, sooner or later the truth will come out. And if you don't know you are biologically related to someone, you may become attracted to them and tragedies like this may occur."

 

EWWWWWW.......Some therapists are going to get rich off these two!...

[GhostofMajorHayes 10]

That is interesting. I have heard of other cases like this in the U.S. Learning that your spouse is also your sibling could possibly destroy someone psychologically.

[RikerChick 5]

Oh god, that poor couple. Wouldn't a blood test reveal that they were siblings though? Maybe not, I really don't know how that works. We never had to get a blood test to get married so maybe they didn't either. What a sad situation.

[Gummy 0]

Oh god, that poor couple. Wouldn't a blood test reveal that they were siblings though? Maybe not, I really don't know how that works. We never had to get a blood test to get married so maybe they didn't either. What a sad situation.

I had to get a Blood Test done the first time I got married (1984), but not the second time.

Maybe they no longer require it over there?

 

That's got to be one of the worst possible things that can happen to any couple.

[Trekmachine 0]

Ewwww

[Kor37 9]

On the bright side, they could always move to West Virginia and fit right in.........

[Trekmachine 0]

:rofl6ma:

[Theunicornhunter 2]

Blood tests for marriage licenses were primarily to identify STD's; if they've gone away it's probably because no one is waiting for marriage to share STDs.

 

This is an interesting question - I understand a child's need to know they're genetic parentage but some people make a mistake and want to put it behind them. They want the child to have a good life but may not be ready to be a parent and they may not want a knock on the door 20 years later upsetting the new life they've been able to build. The point is - will taking away the right to anonymity cause more people to opt for abortion of adoption?

 

As for these sperm banks - it is a real problem in the US because they're using the same donor more times than they say they will. This was discovered by parents of children with a rare birth defect coming to realize their children had the same donor.

[KIMIMELA 1]

In one way, it's not skilful to be married to a sibling. Hope they didn't make love. What relationship would the child be?

 

On the other hand, it's nice to see a brother and sister love each other. Most brothers and sisters usually (and unfortunately) argue with each other and fight.

[youbroughtheryouRiker 2]

Cara, just because siblings fight doesn't mean they don't love each other. There are plenty out there who truly don't love each other at all, but overall, I think many if not most, do.

 

Anyway, this is just one that's so funny and yet so tragic at the same time.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I find it disturbing that people think this is funny - sad, ironic perhaps but not funny.

 

And you can fight with someone and still love them - isn't that called marriage.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

In one way, it's not skilful to be married to a sibling. Hope they didn't make love.

Well they were married, so we can assume they bumped uglies at least a couple times.

[Dabo Queen 0]

On the bright side, they could always move to West Virginia and fit right in.........

 

 

Hey! I live in WV...screw you!

[KIMIMELA 1]

I agree with you all. My point was it makes a difference from the usual arguments that arise. But bumping uglies as Van Roy says is just a little too much...

[Kor37 9]

On the bright side, they could always move to West Virginia and fit right in.........

 

 

Hey! I live in WV...screw you!

Uhhhhhhhhhh.........I KNEW THAT!........ :)

[Dabo Queen 0]

Uhhhhhhhhhh.........I KNEW THAT!........

 

 

For your information, I don't even have a brother.

[youbroughtheryouRiker 2]

I find it disturbing that people think this is funny - sad, ironic perhaps but not funny.

 

I don't mean funny as in OMGROFL! I mean more of a "Oh man, that sucks, and I feel so BAD for laughing at it, but still...!" Funny in a sad way.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

I agree with you all. My point was it makes a difference from the usual arguments that arise. But bumping uglies as Van Roy says is just a little too much...

Well you can't blame them if they did. They did think they were married after all. It doesn't mean they are bad people. The sad thing is they probably still have husband-wife feelings for each other that now they can't act on.

Edited January 13, 2008 by Lt. Van Roy

[Gummy 0]

You have to put yourself in their shoes.

How would you feel if their story was Message Board Fodder all of the planet?

I would be way past mortified.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

This is human tragedy. For some of us it may be longer than for others - but do you remember being in love? Imagine having that person taken from you. LVR is right - they weren't bad people and they didn't do anything "bad" to make them fall out of love - they just discovered a horrible twist of fate that made their love impossible.

 

Although, I do wonder if brother/sister is more about nurture than nature. By that I mean it would be hard to have romantic feelings for someone you grew up with as a sibling whether biological or adopted but findng out you're biologically related to a stranger doesn't immediately make them family.

 

Still sibling romance has been taboo since the Greeks started writing tragedies and these poor people would seriously need counseling.

[LordOfTheBorg 1]

woah...

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

You know how they found out, don't you?

 

In the middle of having sex the man said "Who's your daddy?" and she answered him.