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Discussion » Questions » Life and Society » What would you do if you found out that your spouse was your twin? Why?
RosieG

What would you do if you found out that your spouse was your twin? Why?

A married couple  struggled to conceive and had to undergo DNA tests which is when they discovered they were twins. It was discovered by a doctor at an IVF clinic in Mississippi. I don't know what the odds of that happening are but they must astronomical!

Posted - April 16, 2017
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Responses


  • 5614
    Move to the Appalachian mountains and fit right in?
      April 16, 2017 6:06 AM MDT
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  • 113301
    That could be an option O. Seriously though. What if that had happened to you? What in the he** would you do? I mean you love this person enough to be married and enough to keep trying to have kids. Would you just "get fixed" so you couldn't have kids? I think it would be an agonizing thing to discover. The tabu about incest is really strong. Having kids of course would be out of the question. Adoption would be the only solution. You don't stop loving someone. What would YOU do?  Thank you for your reply and Happy Sunday! :)
      April 16, 2017 10:19 AM MDT
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  • 5614
    Divorce and live separate lives conforming with rules of society. What reasonable alternative is there? This post was edited by O-uknow at April 17, 2017 7:13 AM MDT
      April 16, 2017 11:39 AM MDT
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  • 113301
     I think you're right O. I would add to your use of the word "reasonable" the word "acceptable" as well .  Thank you for your reply m'dear!  :)
      April 17, 2017 7:14 AM MDT
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  • Why doesn't this surprise me that it was in Mississippi....

    I can't imagine a coherent answer here, and I will never face this odd predicament myself. Maybe good schooling prevented it. 
      April 16, 2017 6:24 AM MDT
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  • 113301
    One respondent says it was fake news Z. But I don't care. I think such a thing is within the realm of possibility. What would YOU do? You love this person and have tried to have children. Now having children is not gonna happen because of the dangers inherent therein so you adopt. The social stigma of incest is very deep. But they didn't know. As far as they knew they were total strangers who shared certain physical similarities. That's it. How many times have you met someone new with whom you clicked right off the bat because of such similarities in taste or interest or intellect? It would be agonizing but I don't see how you just stop loving someone. Thank you for your reply. It's complicated I know. Whether it ever happened or not is moot. What would YOU do if it did?
      April 16, 2017 10:35 AM MDT
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  • I hope it really was fake news. Given the scenario, whatever led up to it, I wouldn't say you can just "shut off" the kind of love you'd have for a spouse because such information suddenly presented itself. Obviously, you'd have to deal with the fact that procreation would be out of the question, and a move to a new area where your incest was not common knowledge might become a consideration. 
    Also, there may be legalities concerning the validity of the marriage that will arise, given the new facts. 
      April 16, 2017 11:29 AM MDT
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  • 113301
    Precisely. It was all innocent. They did NOTHING wrong. What they did was normal and natural until that unknown fact emerged. Of course it changed everything but in such a case guilt is not retroactive. At the time of their meeting there were no roadblocks. If it were known to them they would have reacted to each other as siblings. It COULD happen. I have no idea what the odds of that would be or if it ever has or ever will. It's a problem I would not wish on anyone. Thank you for your reply Z and Happy Monday to thee! :) This post was edited by RosieG at April 17, 2017 3:11 PM MDT
      April 17, 2017 6:22 AM MDT
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  • 7939
    The latest today says it was "fake news." One site of a questionable nature reported it and a bunch jumped on it without verifying facts.
      April 16, 2017 9:51 AM MDT
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  • 113301
    What if it were true? What would you do?
      April 16, 2017 10:16 AM MDT
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  • 7939
    There's certainly "ick factor" there. I don't think I could get over a familial relationship if it was discovered, even years into a marriage. I'd just never look at them the same again.
      April 16, 2017 12:00 PM MDT
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  • 113301
    It would be a profound truth and I don't know how I'd react to be honest with y ou. But I do think you don't just stop loving someone due to such a bizarre fact. Neither one did anything wrong. It was all innocent and natural. Until that shoe dropped which changed everything. Thank you for your answer JA and Happy Monday!  :)
      April 17, 2017 6:02 AM MDT
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  • 5451
    I researched my ancestry and I found out my husband and I are 32nd cousins which isn't quite the same as finding out we were twins lol.  

    We descended from the same king and queen but unfortunately none of the family riches trickled this far down.  
      April 16, 2017 1:12 PM MDT
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  • 113301
    Not remotely the same Liv but certainly very interesting. So you're both descended from royalty then? How shall I address you? Your highness? I'm being a tiny bit facetious of course but seriously I wouldn't mind your namedropping which King and Queen. Their blood flows in your veins you know. Their DNA too. I don't think I've ever met any royalty but on the other hand you didn't know until you researched it. Maybe others are descended from royalty too but they are just unaware of it! Thank you for your reply m'dear and Happy Monday! :) This post was edited by RosieG at April 17, 2017 6:06 AM MDT
      April 17, 2017 6:05 AM MDT
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  • 5451
    We both descended from King Robert III and Queen Anabella of Scotland.  The relationship is from my mom's side of the family and my husband's relationship is from his dad's side of the family.


    Here's a picture of our great (x 32 or so) grandparents.



      April 17, 2017 3:31 PM MDT
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  • 113301
    Oh Livvie I just got chills! Honestly! 32 times removed relatives and you have representations of them? All these centuries later? I mean I just can't comprehend how cool that must be in your family!  You have family crests/tartans/plaids? I know I've heard of Robert Stuart. I just looked it up in my unabridged dictionary. "STUART. A member of the royal family that ruled in Scotland from 1371 to 1714". Bagpipes! Golf. Scotch Whisky. "Brigadoon!"  "Finian's Rainbow". Lads and lasses!. Robert Burns. It's a splendid heritage you have there. I'm gonna ask a couple of questions based on it!  Thanks for sharing this info with us Liv. I just love all of it! Every bit! Happy Tuesday! :)
      April 18, 2017 6:15 AM MDT
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  • 16762
    Genetic Sexual Attraction is a real thing and well documented. The Westermarck effect causes a psychological block between relatives who are raised together or in close association with one another, but in situations where close blood relatives first meet as adults, no such barrier exists and two such people are naturally going to have a lot in common.
    Although there is a societal "ick factor" with regards to incest and very good genetic reasons for avoiding the practice, this one is a very grey area. As a couple, they did nothing wrong that either of them knew about, and their love for one another is so well established that it would be cruel to split them up.
    Personally I'd say simply that they shouldn't have kids that are their natural offspring and let the rest slide. Brother-sister marriages where both siblings KNEW it have been common enough throughout history, the Egyptian Empire was built on it.
      April 17, 2017 6:40 AM MDT
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  • 113301
    Thank you for a very thoughtful analysis Sbf.  It makes a great deal of sense. I agree with every point you make. Happy Tuesday! :)
      April 18, 2017 6:16 AM MDT
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