NurseWeek

Parents concede: law to part conjoined twins

By Tim Bergling
September 29, 2000


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Washington (H24N). It's a decision that may mean life for one infant, and certain death for another.

The parents of two 6-month-old conjoined girls say they will not fight a British court order that calls for doctors to separate the two surgically.

The twins – referred to only as "Jody" and "Mary" by the court – were born in Manchester, England, to a Maltese couple that had come to the United Kingdom in search of medical help. The twins were born connected at their lower abdomens. Doctors say Jody has a healthy heart and lungs and a good circulation system; Mary has no lungs, an enlarged heart, no circulation system and only a rudimentary brain.

Doctors say Jody will die within a few months if she's not separated from Mary. They sued to perform the operation once it became clear the parents – devout Roman Catholics – were not going to allow it. Today the parents, who had reportedly been considering appealing the decision to the House of Lords or European Court of Human Rights, said they would not take the case any further.

There's no word yet when the operation to separate the twins is to take place.