Separating Conjoined Twins??

[three60roundhouse]

[color=indigo]One in every 2.5 million sets of twins is born with both babies attatched at the head. These pairs usually have seperate brains, which would seem to make seperation possible, however some of the blood vessels pass each other and might be in danger during very high-risk surgery. Many of the pairs joined at the head will never do things such as sit up or stand up unless seperated. However, these surgeries are extremely risky and expensive, and the money could be used for treating other patients. If performed sucessfully, these surgeries could mean scientific breakthroughs in pediatric surgery and more hope for pairs doctors never thought could be seperated. What do you think: try surgery and risk death or use money in more "sure cures"?

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/18/national/18TWIN.html[/color]

[LeaF]

I live in Canada...free heathcare so I say let the government pay to try to give these people a normal life. Could you imagine living life with someone attached to your head, so I believe there is no choice, and as for a cure I think it would be easier , quicker, and less expensive to just perfect the opertations required to separate the babies rather then trying to come up with a cure

[ZeRo]

dont most of these twins die soon after birth? there was a case in england where a mother didnt want her conjoined twins seperated for religious reasons. the thing was that if they were seperated one of them had abit more of a chance of living.

 

a court made the seperation happen for the sake of the child and in the end both babies died.

 

what do you think they should have done?

[LeaF]

well I mean what could they have done? I don't think leaving them together is an option... I suppose they could have forced the operation at birth if that was not done, perhaps the sooner the operation is done the better chance they have for life