Woman Refuses to Abort Twins With Two Heads, One Body

[cynatnite]

Nine weeks into her pregnancy, doctors discovered Lisa Chamberlain of Portsmouth, England, was pregnant with the twins after she complained of back pain and underwent testing.

After doctors performed an ultrasound and could find just one heartbeat, they told Chamberlain, 25, she should consider an abortion as the babies only had a 20 percent chance of surviving.

Chamberlain, who was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries at the age of 18, a condition that can cause fertility problems, said her twins were a “gift from God.”

“Some might think my twins are strange, but to me they’re just special,” Chamberlain told the newspaper. “Everything happens for a reason. Mike and I have spent over seven years trying to have children and we might not get another go.”

Chamberlain and her fiancé, Mike Pedace, 32, hope the twins can lead full lives like Abigail and Brittany Hensel, 18-year-old dicephalous twins from Minnesota. The Hensels have two spines and two heads, but one body.

The twins will likely be born at London’s University College Hospital where conjoined twins Hope and Faith Williams were born last month. The Williams twins died after a complicated surgery to separate them.

If Chamberlain’s babies survive the pregnancy, they will be Britain’s only living dicephalous twins. She will have to wait until she is 20 weeks pregnant to find out how many organs the twins share.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,479257,00.html

[The Straight Story]

1. her body her choice (nt)

[ismnotwasm]

32. Exactly n/t

[acmavm]

35. Yep.

[11 Bravo]

86. You are abso-fucking-lutely right. End of story.

[TK421]

2. two heads are NOT always better than one

someone should tell her that

[MajorChode]

37. But usually they are

The little head is not the boss, but I sure do consult with him a lot.

[TK421]

39. Now I really didn't mean to go there.....

:spray: but then the guy spits on you, so you have to beat him up some more!

[11 Bravo]

87. You apparently have none.

I can't imagine what this parent is going through, but it would never occur to me to make a cheap joke about it.

[TK421]

88. Oh lighten up.....

:eyes:

[Kolesar]

3. “Everything happens for a reason."

I hate that line.

[SoCalDem]

11. the one that always angered me was "God never gives you more than you can bear"

and how "lucky" we were to be parents of a child with severe birth defects..

Nothing "lucky" about it at all..29 operations before he was 8, and weeks and months in a hospital at a time..and a little boy who was an "adult" before his 4th birthday, spouting medical terminology and "checking his own vitals" for the nurses :)

we were lucky that things turned out "pretty ok", but if we had truly been lucky, he would have been born without all the problems he had, and could have had the carefree childhood of his two brothers:(

[Kolesar]

83. Best wishes to you and your children

I don't know what else to say.

BTW, Our new cat looks just like the black cat in your sig line.

[grantcart]

12. which of course is the main course in " A purpose driven life".

[ZombieHorde]

30. I agree, that line should be replaced with, "everything has a cause, and is a cause." nt

[Recursion]

49. Aristotle vs. Lucretius

It's a fairly old argument. Is the "cause" of the baseball's motion the pitcher's intent to get it into the catcher's glove, or the forces the pitcher applied to it?

(Before anyone argues: there's not a right answer to that.)

[ZombieHorde]

52. Aristotle was into baseball?

[Recursion]

56. The Athens Dodgers were a great team

They just needed a deeper bullpen.

[RadicalTexan]

70. Afuckingmen

Tell that to the people who died in the Holocaust. Or yesterday in Darfur. :puke:

[SoCalDem]

4. All that comes to mind is that she's lucky she has national healthcare

She's in for a REAL adventure..

[FLAprogressive]

5. her choice

[bigwillq]

7. Ditto (nt)

[ZombieHorde]

6. People should be able to refuse medical procedures in most situations.

This seems to be one of them.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

8. The best you can hope for

is that the medical folks will learn from this experience.

She wanted to have a baby, she's having a baby. It's that simple.

Maybe not what some of us would have chosen, but that's the beauty of choice.

[WI_DEM]

9. I'm pro-choice so it's her choice.

[bluestateguy]

10. I respect whatever choice she makes

She should not be maligned for choosing to abort or choosing to follow through with the pregnancy.

[Recursion]

13. "Refuses"?

I'm just troubled by the phrase "refuses to abort" as if it's obvious that's what she "should" do.

[roody]

46. It is obvious to me that the sensible thing is to abort early.

I am a pro-choice female.

[Recursion]

48. What's the level of fetal health problems required

to make abortion the only sensible thing?

[roody]

53. below this

[anigbrowl]

85. Abby and Brittany Hensel are not amused by your shenanigans

Really, I think this is an individual decision and your input is worthless.

[MrMickeysMom]

14. A choice between her physician and herself, I wish her the best

And yes, the national health care system will be there for her, regardless. Meanwhile, they are proactive in spending so much less per capita in the UK with healthier outcomes.

[Lorien]

15. Here's a photo of the other twins

who say that they are "very different people" and have to bargain with each other a lot:



I wonder if they both have control over their body at the same time?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

18. One controls the right arm, the other the left

It is amazing, but they can walk and are quite coordinated. There was a special about them 5 years ago or so.

[Dorian Gray]

67. I stated at the end of this thread

that I was on a cruise that their family was on last easter. We had no idea that they'd be there, but they had made tons of friends on the ship and were all over the place. I had never heard of them before, but when we returned home, all of my friends knew who they were. (I guess they had/have a TLC show.)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

80. They periodically show up on TV

once in 1996, again in 2003, and then in 2006. They say it is so that people will treat them as people and not curiosities when they go out in public. Glad that is what happened on the ship.

[Dorian Gray]

89. They did seem to be having fun with one another

I do imagine that they get a lot of stares and bad behavior, though. It's human nature to be curious (at best... obnoxiously intrusive, at worst) about abnormalities in people.

[Lorien]

79. Yeah, I just saw the YouTube video. Pretty amazing really

nature finds a way to adapt.

[Irreverend IX]

21. The Hensel twins have two hearts...

The doctors in the OP story only recorded one heartbeat, which could be a reason they don't give the fetus good odds to survive. And the Hensel twins each control half of the body, they have to cooperate to walk or do anything with both hands.

[KittyWampus]

25. thanks for posting that. I just googled and found a beautiful segment on Youtube

it really expanded my understanding of people born as conjoined twins.

[ACTION BASTARD]

29. I find that hard to look at. But yeah, it's the mom's choice.

[dysfunctional press]

33. if worse came to worse- they could have a fantastic career in freaky porno.

:evilgrin:

[uppityperson]

62. No, they don't. Links to info on them, very interesting.

Family member saw them recently in a restaurant, did some research and found these articles...

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,984307,00.html
http://www.mymultiplesclerosis.co.uk/misc/shared-body.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-425736/Abigail-Brittany-Hensel-extraordinary-bond.html

[deadmessengers]

16. Her body, her choice.

Thankfully, she still has the choice, becaure there are an awful lot of people here in the US working their asses off to make sure that women here don't get to do the same.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

17. Her choice--lucky she lives in Britain with its National Health

so if the babies survive, they will be well cared for. Glad to hear the Hensel twins are still well and going strong. Wonder if they are planning to become teachers like they said in a special they made about five years ago?

[Horse with no Name]

19. That's the beauty of choice

She has every right to make that decision.

[Zookeeper]

20. None of my business. Her body, her choice. n/t

[etherealtruth]

22. I am NOT pro-abortion

I am pro-choice. As so many others have said: its her body, its her choice.

[FedUpWithIt All]

23. I wish them the best. n/t

[anonymous171]

24. It's her body, it's her choice.

[frogmarch]

26. What a cruel, ignorant woman. nt

[cynatnite]

27. Why? n/t

[frogmarch]

58. Although I do support her right to

choose (as I support every woman's right to do so), the woman will be subjecting the child to a life of pain and struggle, with few, if any compensations. To my way of thinking, it is thoughtless and cruel of her to choose to subject the child to such a life. That is not to say that I advocate abortion in all cases of "imperfect" pregnancies. I don't. But this case is extreme, and I think abortion is the only wise and humane choice there is to make.

[cynatnite]

65. And if she gets children similar to Abigail and Brittany Hensel...

who appear to life full and happy lives?

You don't think she's weighed the risks or understands the outcome?

It's easy to pass judgment, isn't it? Don't get me wrong...I'm as pro-choice as they come and I'm not sure if I could make this sort of decision, but I won't fault anyone for making the choice.

[Dorian Gray]

68. The Hensel twins would probable

disagree with you.

[bigwillq]

40. Why?

:shrug:

Because she is choosing to have her children.

When this happens to you, I hope people are as judgmental. Her body, her choice.

[frogmarch]

59. Yes, it's her choice to make.

but I disagree with her choice. I disagree with her decision to carry the pregnancy full term, to knowingly bring children into the world who'll do nothing but suffer their whole lives.

If I were to ever make such a cruel, ignorant decision, I'd want someone to talk some sense into me before it was too late and I went ahead and did it.

[Dorian Gray]

69. Who says that they have to suffer?

Perhaps they will be loved and live happy lives.

I think it's ignorant to assume that just because they are different they will suffer their whole lives.

[Recursion]

55. Really? Why? NT

[frogmarch]

60. I agree with others here who

support her right to choose, but I strongly disagree with her decision to bring into the world children who'll never be able to hope for anything approaching normal lives. Instead, I believe the children will have lives filled with suffering and pain, with little in the way of happiness. What kind of mother would want that for her kids?

[Recursion]

64. I strongly disagree with the idea that a life with health problems...

...is somehow not worthwhile. Human dignity and worth is universal, or it isn't. I think it is.

[TheKentuckian]

28. I believe in educating patients on pros and cons and leaving them with the choice

I really hope she hashed out the choice she made for her twins, but I wouldn't deny it from her like I wouldn't deny the choice of another who did the opposite.

[dysfunctional press]

31. 'the gift from god' is the money she'll sell the pics for to the tabloids.

and maybe the mutter museum will buy the little corpse if it doesn't survive.

[MiniMe]

34. If she has been trying for 7 years, I can understand her not wanting to abort

It is her choice. Luckily, she has a choice that she can make, and I respect her for whatever choice she makes.

[dysfunctional press]

38. i was originally under the impression that it would be a child that wouldn't live long...

but after seeing the pic of the adult girls upthread- i find it much less bothersome.

[Gwendolyn]

43. The girls up thread only share organs from the navel down.

This set of twins basically consists of one body with two heads/brains controlling it. Doesn't look very good apparently.

[Warren DeMontague]

36. I think "refuses" is an interesting choice of words.

Note the choice of the word choice, there, as well.

[Gwendolyn]

41. Oddly enough, Mum and Dad look like twins themselves.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2120382.ece

[Texasgal]

42. This is what "choice" is all about

It's her body, her choice.

[joeunderdog]

75. Why are so many posters boiling a complex situation down to one single point?

It's as if the fact that this may be an ill-advised choice in medical terms is of no consequence to offspring who may endure incredible hardship or not survive at all.

All abortion questions should not be made in isolation, or to simply prove the point that it is in fact the woman's choice. She was advised by doctors and decided differently, but it's important to have empathy with the deformed babies and not just the mother. There's a lot more to this situation than what side of abortion rights you're on.

[Greyhound]

44. You can't fix stupid. n/t

[dysfunctional press]

45. what if the baby survives, and grows up to become prime minister?

THAT would be cool.

[Skittles]

47. her choice

would not be my choice but it is hers

[leftchick]

50. her choice but

having suffered from PCOS myself I was always prepared to make the sad decision of selective reduction if the child's future were compromised. I had many years of IVF/alternative therapies before I finally became pregnant.

[Gwendolyn]

51. Amazing how Fox News covers it from the "Refuses to Abort" heroic

pro-life angle, whereas all the Brit headlines are along the lines of "Woman is expecting twins with one body."

Bless Fox News.

[flvegan]

54. None of my business.

[Deja Q]

57. Looking forward to the future.

See, in 20 years time they will want to go dating. Double dating.

Assuming somebody will want them.

I've noted our "society", particularly in its latter years, caters to only the young and pristine looking (aka the 'mannequins').

Flame away -- their lives will be filled with misery, for any number of reasons, I truly regret to say.

And while I have but one head, I can still relate.

Best of luck and success to them all. I know it's not going to even begin to be easy.

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

61. None of my business. This is her body. nt

[Gwendolyn]

63. This thread says a lot.

It says a lot about how fragile the right of choice is in our country. Any other message board catering to people who take choice for granted, and who have universal health care wouldn't have every single post making the point that "it's her choice."

That would be obvious.

Most of them would be speculation about the health of the twins, some astonishment that she would be doing this, and probably at least a few grumblings about the cost to tax payers/her selfishness.

Sad that we aren't in the same ball park as other civilized societies.

[LeftishBrit]

81. You are right. Probably not appropriate for me to say more than that.

[Dorian Gray]

66. Totally random

but I was on a cruise last Easter, and Brittany and Abby Hensel were on the same trip. When we first spotted them, we were slightly taken aback, but after observing them from afar, they seemed to have a wonderful spirit. (They are conjoined twins... one body, two heads.)

[philosophie_en_rose]

71. I hope it works out.

It's her choice, but it sounds like a difficult one.

[NashVegas]

72. You Have To Respect Her Decision

If they're successfully separated, great. If not, this woman will have some mourning to do. She seems to accept that.

[wordpix]

73. she's not even married - how long will that fiance be around?

[Nihil]

82. They were oblivious to the hypocrisy too ...

> But Lisa and staunch Catholic Mike ruled this out.

If he was that "staunch" a Catholic, he wouldn't have been shagging
her for the last eight years and only now considering marriage ...

:wtf:

Let's hope they stay happy with their little monster.
:shrug:

[Poll_Blind]

74. Her body, her CHOICE. REALLY.

I'm Pro-Choice and Pro-Choice works both ways.

PB

[Gwendolyn]

77. Uh huh... and every other post below my last one will be, "it's her choice."

How sad. We're still making these comments about what should be self-evident.

On top of that, everyone's responding to a Foxy Clever News headline which is just another pro-life, scratch-the-scab type of inflammatory journalism. Yech!!

[Pithlet]

76. It absolutely is her choice. But I don't think the advice her doctors gave her was wrong.

The odds are just beyond astronomical that her babies will share the same outcome as the Hansel twins and survive for very long beyond birth. But it is her choice whether or not to follow that advice. It's a very sad and devastating thing for her to face.

[AnnieBW]

78. The kid's name will be

Zaphod Beeblebrox Chamberlain.

[Occam Bandage]

84. Her choice, and not mine. nt