# "Nearly Impossible"?? NEARLY?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nearly-impossible-nearly/581725
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 13, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nearly-impossible-nearly/581725 "2011-05-13T00:00:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nearly-impossible-nearly/581725/1 "2011-05-13T00:00:34Z")
Just read about the conjoined [twins who share a single body](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/two-headed-baby-china_n_859797.html?ir=Weird+News).
> [@](#):
>
> They have two spines and two esophaguses and share other organs. Doctors were quoted as saying it would be nearly impossible to separate them.
“Nearly”? I think this is one of those things that qualifies as flat-out impossible, no qualifiers.
Unless their being alive is not part of the equation, in which case of course you could separate them. You could partition them into multiple parts if you liked.
:rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nearly-impossible-nearly/581725/2 "2011-05-13T00:27:11Z")
they didn’t say “nearly impossible to separate them and keep them alive” 😛
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### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nearly-impossible-nearly/581725/3 "2011-05-13T00:52:39Z")
I’ll point out that those two girls who were born that way c. 20 years ago were doing just fine at last report. I don’t know how they handle dating, physical affection, and all that tho.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nearly-impossible-nearly/581725/4 "2011-05-13T01:09:23Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#):
>
> they didn’t say “nearly impossible to separate them and keep them alive” 😛
In that case they probably should have said, “It would be simple to separate them. \ Anyone got a band-saw?”
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### Author:  [@classyladyhp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/classyladyhp)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nearly-impossible-nearly/581725/5 "2011-05-13T01:31:46Z")
> [@Stoid](#):
>
> Just read about the conjoined [twins who share a single body](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/two-headed-baby-china_n_859797.html?ir=Weird+News).
>
> “Nearly”? I think this is one of those things that qualifies as flat-out impossible, no qualifiers.
>
> Unless their being alive is not part of the equation, in which case of course you could separate them. You could partition them into multiple parts if you liked.
>
> :rolleyes:
Those poor babies. I feel terrible for them. I agree. I don’t see how it would be possible to separate them.
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nearly-impossible-nearly/581725/6 "2011-05-13T01:31:59Z")
> [@Stoid](#):
>
> Just read about the conjoined [twins who share a single body](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/two-headed-baby-china_n_859797.html?ir=Weird+News).
>
> “Nearly”? I think this is one of those things that qualifies as flat-out impossible, no qualifiers.
>
> Unless their being alive is not part of the equation, in which case of course you could separate them. You could partition them into multiple parts if you liked.
>
> :rolleyes:
The last time I heard something like this (with those girls IIRC), the doctors explained that while it was _technically_ possible, in reality it would amount to choosing one at random to kill, and leaving the other severely disabled (assuming that both didn’t just die in the attempt). They did remove a third arm that was sticking out at a useless, awkward angle with the girls.
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2011, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nearly-impossible-nearly/581725/7 "2011-05-13T01:46:21Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#):
>
> I’ll point out that those two girls who were born that way c. 20 years ago were doing just fine at last report. I don’t know how they handle dating, physical affection, and all that tho.
I believe you are referring to Abby and Brittany Hensel. They have a wikipedia page here:
> **[Abby and Brittany Hensel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_and_Brittany_Hensel)**
>
> This is an accepted version of this page
>
> Abigail Loraine Hensel and Brittany Lee Hensel (born March 7, 1990) are American conjoined twins. They are dicephalic parapagus twins (having two heads joined to one torso), and are highly symmetric for conjoined twins. Each has a heart, stomach, spine, pair of lungs, and spinal cord. Each twin controls one arm and one leg. When they were infants, learning to crawl, walk, and clap required cooperation. They can eat and write separately and simultaneousl...
They don’t like being in the spotlight and while they have said that they plan on dating, getting married, etc. they haven’t given out too many details. They do have only one set of sexual organs.
Some sites are reporting that one of the twins (Brittany) was engaged, but I couldn’t find anything official or trustworthy when I searched (admittedly I didn’t search all that hard).
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### Author:  [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nearly-impossible-nearly/581725/8 "2011-05-13T02:24:12Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#):
>
> They don’t like being in the spotlight and while they have said that they plan on dating, getting married, etc. they haven’t given out too many details. They do have only one set of sexual organs.
>
> Some sites are reporting that one of the twins (Brittany) was engaged, but I couldn’t find anything official or trustworthy when I searched (admittedly I didn’t search all that hard).
That’s hot.
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### Author:  [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nearly-impossible-nearly/581725/9 "2011-05-13T02:47:34Z")
Those babies look to be the most complete and symmetrical diciphalic parapalous twins I have ever heard of existing. Cute, too. I hope they live. These types of twins often have many problems and very rarely survive to adulthood. It’s going to be especially difficult for them because their torso seems small (for this type of twinning) and their heads are so close together, and seem to be turned in towards each other. The Hensels seem to have a lot more space across the shoulder girdle, and a very broad torso. They were born with three arms too (one vestigial).
I regret to inform you all (ETA: except \*\*Clockwork \*\*because I probably made his night) that there is a picture circulating on the internet of one of the Hensels giving some dude a blowjob. Could be fake of course. But they seem very well-adjusted and from what I’ve heard appear to be navigating dating and sex just fine. They are 21 now.
It’s possible to separate almost any pair of conjoined twins. But in most cases at least one has a very high chance of dying, and in a case like this it would be a matter of killing one to give the other a chance at an individual life.
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### Author:  [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)
#### Post date: [May 13, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nearly-impossible-nearly/581725/10 "2011-05-13T03:01:10Z")
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