Twins adopted by different families end up married

[Iain]

Quite rightly they haven't been named, and this hasn't come out in a scurrilious tabloid, but rather during a House of Lords debate on a related law.

A pair of twins who were adopted by separate families as babies got married without knowing they were brother and sister, a peer told the House of Lords.

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

The peer - who was told of the case by a High Court judge involved - said the twins felt an "inevitable attraction".

He said the case showed how important it was for children to be able to find out about their biological parents.

'Truth will out'

Details of the of the identities of the twins involved have been kept secret, but Lord Alton said the pair did not realise they were related until after their marriage.

The former Liberal Democrat MP raised the couple's case during a House of Lords debate on the Human Fertility and Embryology Bill in December.

"They were never told that they were twins," he told the Lords.

"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."

He told the BBC News website that their story raises the wider issue of the importance of strengthening the rights of children to know the identities of their biological parents .

"If you start trying to conceal someone's identity, sooner or later the truth will out," he said.

"And if you don't know you are biologically related to someone, you may become attracted to them and tragedies like this may occur."

[280plus]

Only in the UK... 

[Manedwolf]

That could be solved by updating the pre-marriage blood test to a DNA test. No results beyond an automated pattern match check, put the sample in the machine, get a green light or red light.

[Iain]

Only in the UK... 

Hey, at least our prominent cases of incest turn out to be accidental.

I was going to make a comment about it being a theme in Eca de Queiros' novel The Maias, he's Portugese and the Portugese food thread made me remember it when I was reading this news story. Then I couldn't remember if Carlos and Maria Maia were twins or brother and sister.

The law aspect is interesting, but it was the "inevitable attraction" quote that interests me really, that's the theme in The Maias.

[Bogie]

So, were they royalty?
 

[Sergeant Bob]

I feel pretty bad for them. That has to be extremely painful for them.

[AmbulanceDriver]

Only in the UK... 

Hey, at least our prominent cases of incest turn out to be accidental.

I was going to make a comment about it being a theme in Eca de Queiros' novel The Maias, he's Portugese and the Portugese food thread made me remember it when I was reading this news story. Then I couldn't remember if Carlos and Maria Maia were twins or brother and sister.

The law aspect is interesting, but it was the "inevitable attraction" quote that interests me really, that's the theme in The Maias.

Ok...  WTF???  THAT'S MY LAST NAME!  And I'm Brazilian.  Descended from Portuguese!  WHAT THE @(&$_???

Sorry, minor freak out there.  Time to do some research....

[280plus]

Hey, at least our prominent cases of incest turn out to be accidental.

Touche' ! 

[Iain]

Ok...  WTF???  THAT'S MY LAST NAME!  And I'm Brazilian.  Descended from Portuguese!  WHAT THE @(&$_???

Sorry, minor freak out there.  Time to do some research....

It's a novel, I would link to wikipedia, but the article is very sparse. Eca de Queiros was a major 19th century Portugese novelist.

[Polishrifleman]

One of my wife's major projects is called "Life Books".  It is funded by the Junior League of Seattle.  They put together a chronicle for kids in foster care and adoption, that includes pictures, names, favorite pastimes (prior to) etc... because the loss of identity these kids feel most of the time is harsh and they are very well done as to not express anything but making the right decision at the time.

[charby]

So, were they royalty?
 

ha ha ha 

[Desertdog]

Only in the UK...

It has happend here also, and with the same cause.  
What about those children born from sperm bank donors?  If two of them with the same donor get together, the only way to rule it out is with DNA test on both parties.

[280plus]

I ws joking with my buddy Iain...

[Rocketman56]

Ouch!!

Having been adopted at birth, I found out when my a-father died when I was 19..
I spent the last decade trying to find my birth families.. (started the year my a-mother died)

To be honest, the searching was a major PITA... Fortunately, my wife got VERY good at it..
(She even re-united 2 sets of siblings that didn't know about each other... She may make a
career move in that direction when the grandkids get older)  I finally found my b-families,
(and a million cousins!!) but IL really keeps the info under lock and key..  For reasons that
are NOT clear..

Reason I'm chiming in is that my best friend in high school dated my b-half-sister(although
I didn't know it at that time, obviously.. and she was from a different HS....) I thought
she was cute, but never had the nerve to ask her out after she broke up with my best friend..
(She doesn't realize what happened yet..  I'll be talking to her in a month or so at a family reunion..
Talk about strange twists!!)

Life does have strange ways of bringing people together..

Steve