[emily_3383]

LONDON (Jan. 11) - Twins who were separated at birth got married without realizing they were brother and sister, a lawmaker said, urging more information be provided on birth certificates for adopted children.

A court annulled the British couple's union after they discovered their true relationship, Lord David Alton said.

"Everyone has a right to knowledge about their lineage, genealogy and identity. And if they don't, then it will lead to cases of incest," Alton told The Associated Press during a telephone interview Friday.

Alton first revealed details of the unusual case last month during a five-hour debate about a bill that would change regulations about human embryology.

"I was recently involved in a conversation with a High Court judge who was telling me of a case he had dealt with," Alton said according to a transcript of the Dec. 10 debate. "It involved the normal birth of twins who were separated at birth and adopted by separate parents.

"They were never told that they were twins. They met later in life and felt an inevitable attraction, and the judge had to deal with the consequences of the marriage that they entered into and all the issues of their separation."

Alton gave no additional details and would not reveal the name of the judge who told him about the case.

The High Court's Family Division declined to discuss or confirm Alton's account about the twins.

Alton, an independent legislator who works at Liverpool's John Moores University, said the siblings' inadvertent marriage raises the wider issue of the importance of strengthening the rights of children to know the identities of their biological parents, including kids who were born through in vitro fertilization.

Under British law, only a mother has to be named on a birth certificate. Such certificates also are not required to identify births that result from IVF or to identify the sperm donor.

In addition, British law does not require parents to ever tell children that they were the result of donated sperm.

Alton believes this should be changed.

Alton said he favors an amendment to the Human Fertility and Embryology bill - which is still being debated in the House of Lords - that would require birth certificates of children born from donated sperm to say that and to identify the genetic father.

Referring to the twins' case, he said: "If you start trying to conceal someone's identity, sooner or later the truth will come out. And if you don't know you are biologically related to someone, you may become attracted to them and tragedies like this may occur."

Husband, Wife Discover They're Twins - AOL News

[Saje]

Lol.

At least they dont have kids. And if they did - its statistically shown that the chances of birth issues with incestual relationships is the same as non-incestual (about 7%).

[MACmaniac]

Wow! Thats wild!

[daer0n]

dude! that is crazy, poor ppl, i would have gone crazy and i wouldn't have known what to do, it's kinda heartbreaking too, :/

[Aprill]

I read that, that's kinda sad

[LilRayofSun]

This would be my worst nightmare.


I always wondered growing up whilst dating if I were dating a relative!!!!! lol

Given the fact my birthfather was supposedly from the general area I grew up in.

But now I suppose I am safe, having married interracially there is little to no way we are related

I do agree, when ppl do adoptions they rarely take into account how that child may feel later in life, needing health info etc.

Closed adoptions are the devil and so hard to track down any information.

[Maysie]

Awww that's sad. Still, if they were already married and in love and hadn't grown up with each other, I wonder if there was a reason to have their union dissolved? Very strange situation...

[glitter_vertigo]

That's terrible... I can't imagine the shock and shame they must have felt.

[Modirty80]

It's like a V.C Andrews novel.... Anyone ever read "Flowers in The Attic"?
It is crazy though!

[MissBGlam]

I can't even imagine marrying my brother and not know it!!! YUCK!

[Bec688]

Can you imagine the aftermath of this? Dealing with the fact that you have not only married your sibling, but have had sexual relations with them? The amount of emotional turmoil these people are going to go through will be hell. I feel bad for them.

[bluebird26]

yikes!

[debbiedeb77]

wow! crazy- thats kinda sad

[monniej]

even though i feel bad for them, it doesn't seem strange that they were attracted to each other to me. is that weird?

[Maysie]

Originally Posted by Modirty80

It's like a V.C Andrews novel.... Anyone ever read "Flowers in The Attic"?
It is crazy though!

I've read the whole series! creepy but interesting...