CASE STUDY: #2

Group 8

In August 2000, a young woman from Gozo, an island south of Italy, discovered that she was carrying
conjoined twins. Knowing that health-care facilities on Gozo were inadequate to deal with the complications of such
a birth, she and her husband went to St. Mary’s Hospital in Manchester, England, to have the babies delivered. The
infants, known as Mary and Jodie, were joined at the lower abdomen. Their spines were fused, and they had one
heart and one pair of lungs between them. Jodie, the stronger one, was providing blood for her sister.

No one knows how many sets of conjoined twins are born each year, but the number has been estimated at
200. Most die shortly after birth, but some conjoined twins do well. They grow to adulthood and marry and have
children themselves. But the outlook for Mary and Jodie was grim. The doctors said that without intervention the
girls would die within six months. The only hope was an operation to separate them. This would save Jodie, but Mary
would die immediately.

The parents, who were devout Catholics, refused permission for the operation on the grounds that it would
hasten Mary’s death. “We believe that nature should take its course,” they said. “ if it is God’s will that both our
children should not survive, then so be it.” The hospital, hoping to save at least of the infant, petitioned the courts
for permission to separate them over the parent’s objections. The court granted permission, and the operation was
performed. As expected, Jodie lived and Mary died.

1. Who should make the decision from the question of what the decision should be?

Making a choice, in this case, is difficult since it could mean the difference between an innocent person's
life and death. In my opinion, it is very difficult to decide who should make the decisions in these really
difficult situations, but when we examine the situation closely, we find that those innocent children
belong to their parents, who are responsible for determining what is best for their welfare and progress.
Despite the fact that doctors have the right to make decisions based on the fact that one of their
objectives is to provide a patient with the best possible health-related welfare and that they possess the
necessary knowledge and abilities to decide. Parents always consider what is best for their children
because they want to give their twins the best life and want to show them the beauty in this world even
in such a short time. They will accept whatever happens because they have complete faith that
everything that occurs is in accordance with the Lord's plans and intentions.

2. Would it be right or wrong in these circumstances to separate the twins?

In our opinion, it is wrong because you’re not giving another child a chance to live. But separating the
twins will result in the loss of one's ability to live life fully and the acquisition of one's. Jodie has the right
to live and experience adulthood as a person, but it is improper in this case. But we need to accept the
parent’s decision because they want to spend their limited time with their twins. Because their parents
have faith in God that it is not right to take away their right to live and kill an innocent life who wants to
be born and have life. They neglected their parental duties to Jodie, their child, but I hope they won't
feel bad or become burdensome parents when they see her. Parents should have the one to decide
because parents know what is best for their children it is their responsibility to take care mary and jodie,
they want to show the beauty of world even in the short period of their time and also they are the one
to appointed to their growth as well as their welfare. It is like Eternal law, where the parents trust the
lord for everything what happens to their children, what his plan and will for their children