Legal status of conjoined twins.

BIOLOGICALLY speaking, though, they would both be mothers.

Show me where any surrogate mother has been a conjoined twin. Show me where any surrogate mother has shared a reproductive system with the actual mother. We are talking about breaking new legal ground here.

What if the girls were not pregnant by choice? Who is the mother then? Which one gives it up for adoption?

On another tack, is it possible to commit a physical offense against one and not the other?

In the case of the Hensel twins, probably not.

Other conjoined twins who are less conjoined - you could probably come up with a scenario.

I suppose you could poke one in the eyes. That’d have an effect on both, but only indirectly (it might be hard to walk if the person controlling your other leg can’t see).

But is it legally possible for a child to have three parents? Sure, if one twin decided to let the other be listed as “mother” on the birth certificate there wouldn’t be much of a problem.
But what if both Abigail and Brittany decide they’re equally the mother? Would it depend on which ovary the egg came from (how the hell could they even figure that out)?

I suppose. Any wound that causes trauma to the circulatory system would be against both twins, unless there have been conjoined twins who did not share a circulatory system. Is that even possible? Surely separating such twins would be simple.

Conjoined twins do share a circulatory system, but the extent varies. Chang and Eng Bunker, for example, probably would have been separated the day they were born if they showed up today. It’s even possible this could have been done during their lifetimes in Europe or the US though there was enough risk that they didn’t attempt it. The Hensels - I doubt it would be possible.

But it would have been possible to, for example, beat up Cheng without harming Eng physically. Although that’s a horrible idea.

As mentioned in the article I linked to above, Chang and Eng sometimes quarrelled and on several occasions came to blows. Once the hot-tempered Chang even threatened Eng with a knife.

Even 19th century surgeons could’ve seperated them. The big problem would’ve been the risk of infection (doctors washed their hands after surgery and a dirty, bloodstained apron was a mark a pride). They were only connected by cartilage and a few blood vessels. How nobody could tell that at the time. I read somewhere that it was thought they shared a liver.

Sure, they could have been separated. Abdominal surgery was performed in the 1700’s, much less the 1800’s. Amazing, but true, patients were even known to survive being cut open and sewed up.

Sure, there were lots of infections, too.

As I said, it was possible - but the brothers were aware of the risks which is why they chose to forgo surgery.

i reckoned that the girls would find a nice set of conjoined boy twins to marry and live happily ever after. there could be a set of boy twins who can’t be separated. with internet it shouldn’t be too hard to find them.

of course, that didn’t settle the kidlet question.

Wait a minute! Are you saying I have to be clones to date the Hensels?

(Well, they’re a bit young for me anyway, but they’re cute.)

There is such a set, but they’re about 50 years old - not sure they would be appealing to the Hensels.