It's just about Siamese Twins

Jodie and Mary
Separate or not?

An anonymous couple from Malta traveled to England this past year for a complicated delivery of their Siamese twin daughters, Jodie and Mary, who were born on August 8,2000,joined at the abdomen and with fused spine. Doctors soon determined that unless the twins were surgically separated both would die. Mary, the waeker twin, whose brain was underdeveloped, would never be able to survive separated from Jodie. Jodie, who was strong and aler, had an 80%-90% chance of dying if surgery was not performed. She had a good chance of surviving in the event of surgery,although, in all likelihood she would be severely handicapped and need medical attention throughout her life.In similar cases in the past, the surviving twin has sometimes died within six months of surgery. In other cases, neither twin survives. The medical team at St Mary's Hospital, to which the twins were taken had never done a successful separation of Siamese Twins. When the medical team suggested surgical separation, the Parents, who were Roman Catholic, refused on religious and moral grounds to give their consent. The Hospital went to court pleading that life-saving surgery was in Jodie's best interest, and that saving one of the twins would be morally preferable to losing both. The presiding judge acknowledged the court's duty 'to put the welfare of each child paramount', but nonethless, concluded that Jodie's right to live outweighed Mary's, thus ruling in favor of the Hospital.

These are the ethical questions that we have come up with to facilitate in our opinion writing pertaining to the case of Jodie and Mary

Q1. Is there an ethical right to separation ?
Q2. Is it morally permissible to let both infants die?
Q3. Does distributive justice play a role in the separation of conjoined twins with multiple anomalies ?

Siamese Twins also known as Conjoined twins which are monozygotic multiples that do not fully separate from each other due to the incomplete division of the fertilized ovum. The individuals will be connected at certain points of the body, and may share tissue, organs or limbs. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 200,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa.Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of pairs born alive have abnormalities incompatible with life. The overall survival rate for conjoined twins is approximately 25%. The condition is more frequently found among females, with a ratio of 3:1.
More info

Famed twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, were born in Siam (now Thailand) in the early 1800's, although they eventually settled in the United States. As they traveled the world, they became known as "the Siamese twins."
While they were the first conjoined twins whose medical history was documented, they were not the first set of conjoined twins. Records reference a set of conjoined boys living in Constantinople in 945 A.D. Another well-known set, Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, lived in England in the twelth century.

Take your stand and voice out your opinion, visitors are welcomed to tag your opinions regarding Siamese Twins ( The current topic for discussion is JODIE AND MARY)

The stories of Siamese Twins
Their lives are not strange but
but tougher than anyone of us.

Faith and Hope [1]
Faith and Hope [2]
Kendra and Maliyah
Lea and Tabea [1]
Lea and Tabea [2]
Abigail and Brittany [1]
Abigail and Brittany [2]
Abigail and Brittany [3]
Abigail and Brittany [4]
Abigail and Brittany [5]
Conjoined Twins

June 2009

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Conjoined Twins FAQ
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Friday, June 19, 2009

Jodie and Mary: The medical facts

"Jodie" and "Mary", whose parents come from the island of Gozo, part of Malta, were born at Manchester's St Mary's Hospital on 8 August.
The parents travelled to the UK for the birth after learning that the expectant mother was carrying conjoined twins.
The UK is one of only a few locations with doctors experienced in dealing with the highly unusual births.
Joined at the abdomen
The sisters were joined at the lower abdomen but were capable of lying flat on their back.
At first glance they appeared as if they were one single trunk with a head and limbs at both ends.
Although their spines were fused, their legs were independently formed and criss-crossed each other.
Birth problems
At birth, Jodie was active and breathing voluntarily with a good heart and chest movement and moving all four limbs.
In Mary's case, there was a minimal response from the cardiopulmonary system before it failed.
The medical team soon realised that Mary's heart and lungs were so poorly developed that she was totally dependent on Jodie for oxygen and blood circulation.
In other words, she could not exist without Jodie.
While Jodie's system did collapse from blood poisoning shortly after birth, her heart and lungs were reported to be later fully functioning - giving the doctors hope that she could be saved. She was also said to have the same mental awareness as other newborn children.
However, Mary's mental state was unclear. During evidence given in the initial court hearings, doctors said that she was moving her limbs and had opened one of her eyes.
Because there appeared to be no distinguishing point where Jodie's body came to an end and Mary's body began, surgery effectively meant an operation on both of the babies.
One of the three law lords who heard the case, Lord Justice Ward, said: "The moment the knife goes in to that united body, it touches the body of unhappy, little Mary.
"It is in that second an assault."
Separation?
Doctors believed that Jodie could survive separation because her long-term problems were "functional" rather than life threatening.
The only threat posed to Jodie, said the doctors wishing to operate, was that Mary was sapping her strength.
Separation would lead to the immediate death of Mary.
The courts finally ruled in favour of the doctors who wished to operate and the separation took place on 7 November 2000. As expected, Mary died. The surgery means that Jodie still requires substantial surgery to reconstruct her lower abdomen, rectum and possibly her sexual organs.
While there were many doubts about Jodie's medium to long-term prospects, in the days following separation the baby rapidly improved, as predicted by the surgical team.
Unhappy precedent
In 1993, doctors in the US city of Philadelphia sought to separate conjoined twins Amy and Angela Lakeberg, knowing that one would die in the operation.
After much anguish, the parents agreed to the operation.
Amy died immediately but Angela only survived for ten months.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/920487.stm

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