A legal expert has weighed in on who would be the mom as a famous pair of conjoined twins have been spotted with a newborn baby.
Brittany and Abby Hensel from Minnesota shot to fame and even starred in their own reality TV show after their unusual case shook social media.
The 35-year-olds are dicephalic parapagus twins, where two heads are joined to one torso and each control an arm and a leg, but have their own heart, stomach, spine, and lungs.
Last year, it was revealed Josh Bowling had tied the knot with Abby some years prior in 2021. Now, it is suspected the married couple might also have become parents after snaps published by TMZ show Brittany and Abby with a baby on August 14.
The family broke their silence on August 30 by posting a TikTok video with images of the twins and a baby with the caption: “Blessed,” alongside the hashtags ‘sisterhood’ and ‘respect’.
Still, neither Abby, Brittany nor Josh have publicly spoken about the identity of the child or if it is indeed theirs, but speculation has nonetheless swirled over who would be deemed the youngster’s legally recognized birth mom.
Tamara Adams, an associate at Stowe Family Law, has since weighed in on the legality of the matter, telling UNILAD: “In the UK, and most American states, there can only be two legal parents at any one time. A child’s mother will always be the birth mother – i.e. the woman who gave birth to the child.
“The legal father of the baby would be the biological father i.e. the owner of the sperm.”
However, this is clearly a gray area in cases of conjoined twins, since the mom of a baby could only be one of the sisters, not both – and in Abby and Brittany’s case, the twins both share a uterus.
Tamara continued: “This is where the complexities arise, because there is not a clear sole birth mother.”
“It might be that Abby, the twin who is married, would be registered as the birth mother alongside her husband as the birth father, and as she is married, her and her spouse, are the legal parents.
“However, this is not guaranteed.”
If the baby was not birthed by the twins, the legal mom would be the one who gave birth, the lawyer continued.
“If one of the twins sought to be a legal parent, and either they or Abby’s husband had a genetic link to the baby, they would need a parental order to transfer legal parenthood away from the birth mother.”
Tamara confessed it stands as a ‘highly unusual situation’ either way, adding: “Abby and Brittany have survived and thrived far longer than any medical professional would have anticipated. If the baby they have been seen with is biologically related, a complex parental dispute could be on their hands, potentially being the first baby produced by conjoined twins with a shared uterus/other vital organs.”
The twins have far exceeded medic’s expectations since it’s rare for conjoined twins to survive into adulthood.
Abby and Brittany also live as independently as possible, both being able to eat and write separately, play the piano together and jobs as teachers.
They also both hold a driver’s license and had to pass their test separately as per Minnesota laws.