No, this is not a scene in a Hollywood movie. It happened in Mississippi capital of Jackson in the United States of America, the mississippiherald.com reports.
A married couple trying for a child finds out that they are biological twins following DNA tests. The married couple had sought fertility treatment and had visited a clinic to take part in an IVF programme. Neither the couple nor their doctor has been named to protect their identity.
According to the doctor who was treating the couple, “During the in vitro fertilisation process, we take a DNA sample from both the male and the female to get a profile of their genetic backgrounds. It’s just a routine thing and we wouldn’t normally check to see if there was a relationship between the two samples, but in this case, the lab assistant involved was shocked by the similarity of each profile.”
The lab assistant drew the attention of the doctor whose first thought was that perhaps the couple are first cousins, but on inspection of the tests results found way too many similarities. A further check of the clients’ file shows that the couples share the same date of birth in 1984, which convinced the doctor that the couple is fraternal twins.
When presented with the finding, the couple initially thought the doctor was joking, and the husband told the doctor that a lot of people had remarked on the fact that the couple shares the same birthday and similar looks, which the couple had attributed to funny coincidence. However, the DNA proved that they are in fact related.
Up until the DNA revelation, the couple had no idea that they are related. Their biological parents had died in a car crash during when the couple were infants and with no close family to take care of them, they were taken into state care, and subsequently adopted by two different families. Neither of the family knew there was a twin.
They met at college (university), were attracted to each other due to their similarities. “The fact that they’d both been adopted after their parents died, meant they’d both experienced a similar childhood and felt they could really connect with each other, If only they had known the truth, it could have saved them so much pain later on,” the doctor said.
According to the Herald, marriage between siblings in Mississippi is prohibited. Jail term could be up to 10 years and the maximum fine is $500. It is believed that in this case, that the couple will not be charged due to the unique circumstances surrounding the case.
We join the doctor in hoping that the couple works something out going forward.
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