Conjoined twins are a rare phenomenon where two babies are born physically connected to each other. This occurs when a fertilized egg fails to separate completely during the early stages of development in the womb.
The degree of connection between conjoined twins can vary greatly. Sometimes, they may only share a small amount of tissue, while in other cases, they may be joined at more vital organs or body parts.
Due to how rare these people are, and the complexity of how their bodies work, the lifespan of conjoined twins vary greatly. And due to social stigma, and the way their bodies and minds work, not many of them have the chance to step up their lives to experience marriage.
Abby Hensel and her sister Brittany, are conjoined twins, considered America's most-famous twins.
And this time, Abby is found to be secretly married to Josh Bowling, an army veteran in 2021, and the internet that just realized it, is having a late celebration, but with tons of questions.
Just like most if not all conjoined twins, Abby and Brittany face unique challenges, both medically and socially, as they navigate life together.
Due to the complexity in their systems, Abby and Brittany prefer to live their lives together, and remain their physically interconnected state.
Here, Abby and Brittany are considered dicephalic parapagus twins, which means that they have two heads that are joined to one torso.
Parapagus twins can happen in one out of 200,000 pregnancies.
If this alone is not rare enough, the twins are highly symmetric.
For starters, Abby and Brittany have separate fully-functioning brains, meaning that they are individuals with their own personalities, aspirations, and dreams, just like everyone else.
They have very different personalities and tastes. Abby, the feisty, is said to to be the stubborn one, likes orange juice for breakfast, while Brittany, the joker of the family, would only touch milk.
And because they also have separate heart, stomach, spine and lungs, the two are literally having separate vital organs, despite having a shared circulatory system.
"Believe me, we are totally different people," Brittany once said.
In short, they are two souls; two sisters sharing one body.
But because each of the twins controls one arm and one leg due to not sharing one common spinal cord, they can eat and write separately and simultaneously.
Because of this, activities that involve both sides of the body, like tasks as simple as clapping the hands require cooperation. More complex activities, such as running, swimming, hair-brushing, playing piano or volleyball, riding a bicycle, or driving a car require coordination.
And the two mastered all that.
They can instinctively move their limbs and control their fingers, as if coordinated by one person.
While Abby and Brittany face reactions from others, ranging from curiosity to stigma, they lead fulfilling lives, supported by their families, medical professionals, and communities.
Then, the two uploaded a clip showing off Abby's wedding day, and that on Facebook, they also feature a photo of the happy couple.
For the ceremony, which records revealed took place back in 2021, the twins are seen using a sleeveless, white wedding dress with lace trim detailing, while the groom wore a grey suit.
Josh, a father of one daughter, sports a floral bridesmaid's dress and walking down the aisle, holding a sign that read: 'Daddy... Here Comes Your Bride'.
Knowing that Abby is married, the internet is pouring them with love, and a lot of questions.
Marriage is something that pretty much everyone wants to experience, at least once in their lifetime.
This is because marriage is often seen as a symbol of love and commitment between two individuals. It's a public declaration of devotion and a promise to stand by each other through thick and thin. For many, the idea of finding that one special person with whom they can build a life together is incredibly romantic and fulfilling.
Moreover, marriage provides a sense of security and stability. It creates a legally recognized bond that offers benefits such as shared finances, inheritance rights, and access to healthcare and other privileges. This can be especially important in times of hardship or uncertainty, providing a safety net for both partners.
Marriage also carries cultural and societal significance. In many cultures, getting married is not just about the union of two individuals but also about joining families and communities together. It's a celebration of tradition and heritage, marking a significant milestone in one's life journey.
Just like for pretty much everyone else, marriage for the fifth grade math teachers at an elementary school in New Brighton, Minnesota, is also full of love.
At the same time, it's also unique.
Again, like before, a lot of people started to once again speculate how the sisters carry out day-to-day activities during their marriage with the veteran.
This is because Abby is a conjoined twins, meaning that only her is married, and not Brittany.
If marriage provides a sense of security and stability, and that it creates a legally recognized bond that offers benefits such as shared finances, inheritance rights, and access to healthcare and other privileges, does Brittany shares that privilege?
And because sexual intimacy is an integral part of a marital relationship, some began to wonder.
First, some questions about jealousy, and how it works between them, and what happens when Brittany gets kissed, and Abby is just there doing nothing.
What happens to Brittany if her sister Abby is having sexual intercourse with her husband, and whether the coitus can be called a sexual activity involving three people.
Should Josh come to an agreement with Brittany before he has sex with Abby? If Brittany doesn't giver her consent, will the sex becomes a rape?
Then, there are questions about pregnancy, and can Brittany decide whether Abby should conceive or not, considering that the twins share one womb.
If Abby get pregnant with Josh's child, both twins would be the mother, considering that they have the same genetic information.
"Yeah, we are going to be moms one day, but we don't want to talk about how it's going to work yet," they once said.
Then, speaking about relationship, people also ask questions about the marriage, asking whether it's polygamous, or monogamous. Some said that the marriage can be bad for the twins, because the moment marked the time Abby is having a life of her own, leaving her sister, despite their decision to share the same body knowing that they cannot be separated.
And there are also questions about divorce, like if Brittany doesn't like Josh, can she divorce him.
During hardship or uncertainty, where should Brittany stand?
The questions go on and on.
"There are so many questions and I know some questions we shouldn’t ask but it’s out of curiosity that we do. It must be very awkward to have to be in the room while your sister is being intimate with her husband. I really feel for these girls but I’m glad they are living their life," one of the commenters said.
With the news about the marriage sending the internet into a tizzy, the twins have heard all the commotion, loud and clear.
The twins posted separate TikToks to their public account, to mock all of them who were shocked to hear their story.
"The internet is extra LOUD today. We have always been around," they said in one of the posts.
"This Is a Message To All the Haters Out There. If You Don't Like What I Do But You Watch Everything I'm Doing You're Still a Fan," the twins said in one of the posts.
Abby and Brittany, from Minnesota, are one of only a handful of sets of dicephalus twins in history, meaning they have two heads and two hearts but share a single body from the waist down, including their genitals.
The twins have always remain quiet and discreet about this topic, leaving people speculate and wonder.
Famous conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker, from Thailand, were joined only by a bit of liver and skin, and had separate genitals.
They both married separately, and the two have children.
But Abby and Brittany share one reproductive organ.
Some suggest that they would both feel any touching down there, and may both experience a simultaneous orgasm, given that they share the same sexual organ, with the same nerves, muscles and blood vessels. However, some said otherwise, because they two have their own spinal cord, meaning that despite having one sex organ, they may perceive genital stimulation differently.
But again, this is only a speculation, at least at this time.
Another conjoined twins Lupita and Carmen Andrare, born in Mexico but living in the U.S., have the same physical makeup to Abby and Brittany.
While Carmen has a boyfriend named Daniel, the are not having sexual relationship. Carmen describing her bond with Daniel as more of a "close friendship."
Like most conjoined twins, Abby and Brittany have never publicly spoken about their sex life, despite immense public curiosity.
"We wish to keep everything private and will not be doing any interviews," the twins once said, in response to an interview on how their relationship dynamic works.
While intensely dislike being stared at or photographed by strangers while going about their private lives, in 2006 at the age of 16, they said that they hoped to date, get married, and have children.
They also stated that they hoped that by providing some information about themselves, they would be able to lead otherwise fairly typical social lives.
When the twins were born on March 7, 1990, in Minnesota, doctors warned their parents, Patty and Mike, that they were unlikely to survive the night.
But that prediction was proven wildly wrong.
Their parents Patty and Mike never once considered having the twins separated, because of the risk both might die or be left with such severe disabilities their quality of life would be compromised.
As the twins grew and learned to walk and develop other skills, their parents confirmed their decision against separation, arguing that the quality of life for the surviving twin or twins living separately would be less than their quality of life as conjoined people.
The same goes to the twins
According to previous reports, only once have the Hensel twins talked about separation. This happened during their childhood, at he time when Abby was extremely bored and restless, when Brittany was ill with pneumonia and was confined to bed.
She started to suggest being separated from her sister, but when Brittany began to cry, Abby took her words back. She reassured her sister that everything was fine and that they'd never be parted.
Among the several types of conjoined twins, the Hensel girls are the rarest form of conjoined twins, the result of a single fertilized egg which failed to separate properly in the womb.
