Free Republic

I've been arguing with a pro-choice relative of mine, and she made the following statement: "If life begins at conception, do identical twins only have half a soul?" I know the science of how "twinning" occurs. A single fertilized egg splits and then both halves implant in the uterus. But since conception involved one egg and one sperm only, if life began at that moment, wouldn't that indicate only one soul? I'm interested in any theological arguments that have been made in this area. Thanks

<p>Twins with different skin colors — one black and the other white — have been born in Berlin, Germany.</p> <p>Doctors say it is an extremely rare occurrence, but it is possible if genes combine in a certain way.</p> <p>The twin boys, named Ryan and Leo, are the offspring of a mixed-race couple.</p>

Twins with different skin colors — one black and the other white — have been born in Berlin, Germany. The twin boys, named Ryan and Leo, are the offspring of a mixed-race couple

MELBOURNE, Fla., July 11, 2008 – Army Sgts. Daniel and Timothy DeKoeyer have been together all their lives. Army Sgts. Daniel (left) and Timothy DeKoeyer prepare to deploy with the Florida Army National Guard's 715th Military Police Company in Melbourne, Fla., July 5, 2008. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Thomas Kielbasa  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. As civilians, the twin brothers serve together as police officers in Deland, Fla., and now the 22-year-old citizen-soldiers have volunteered to deploy together to Afghanistan for a year-long military police mission. They left for training July 5 with the Florida...

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - A pregnant bank teller who was shot during a bank robbery has lost the twins she was carrying. Katherin Shuffield was five months pregnant when a bank robber shot her in the stomach during a robbery Tuesday morning at the Huntington Bank on 21st and Post. Although the bullet missed the twins, surgeons had to remove a section of Shuffield's intestine and her appendix. Katherin's husband released a statement: "On behalf of our family, I would like to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and concerns regarding Katherin's condition. While Katherin remains in critical but stable condition,...

Really? THE FACTS It is a basic tenet of human biology, taught in grade schools everywhere: Identical twins come from the same fertilized egg and, thus, share identical genetic profiles. But according to new research, though identical twins share very similar genes, identical they are not. The discovery opens a new understanding of why two people who hail from the same embryo can differ in phenotype, as biologists refer to a person’s physical manifestation. The new findings appear in the March issue of The American Journal of Human Genetics, in a study conducted by scientists at the University of Alabama...

A talented artist hanged herself because she was overcome with grief after aborting her twins, an inquest heard yesterday. Emma Beck, 30, left a note saying: "Living is hell for me. I should never have had an abortion. "I see now I would have been a good mum. I told everyone I didn't want to do it, even at the hospital." "I was frightened, now it is too late. I died when my babies died. "I want to be with my babies - they need me, no one else does." Yesterday an inquest heard that in the run-up to the...

Hollywood diva Jennifer Lopez gave birth to twins early Friday, a boy and a girl, People magazine said. The twins are the first children for Lopez, 38, and the fourth and fifth for her husband, salsa star Marc Anthony. "Jennifer and Marc are delighted, thrilled and over the moon," Lopez's manager told the magazine.

A startling arrest in twin's death Brother of slain East High youth charged in his murder By Theodore Decker and Simone Sebastian THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH The twins did everything together. Relatives said they were inseparable. A teacher called them "two peas in a pod." And after Dennis Lewis, 17, was shot and killed while rushing to defend his mother during what appeared to be a robbery at their North Linden home last month, his twin, Derris, stood strong. He spoke for the family. He spoke to their teachers and peers at East of Arcadia High School, where he continued to...

Michelle Stepney with her girls Alice and Harriet / Photo Credit: The Daily Mail London, Feb 7, 2008 / 04:41 am (CNA).- A British woman’s twin girls saved her life when, while still in the womb, they kicked free a tumor growing in their mother’s uterus, the Daily Mail reports.Though advised she needed to abort the twins so she could be treated for cancer, the mother avoided harsh cancer treatment so her babies could be born.Michelle Stepney, 35, was expecting twins when she went to a hospital with a suspected miscarriage.  The doctors realized that she had cervical cancer,...

Alford, who has researched this topic for a number of years, and his team analyzed data from political opinions of more than 12,000 twins in the United States and supplemented it with findings from twins in Australia. Alford found that identical twins were more likely to agree on political issues than were fraternal twins. On the issue of property taxes, for example, an astounding four-fifths of identical twins shared the same opinion, while only two-thirds of fraternal twins agreed. "What we found was that it probably is going to take more than a persuasive television ad to change someone's mind...

Like any thrilled mother to be, Michelle Stepney cherished the first kicks she could feel from her unborn babies. But her lively twin girls were doing more than simply making their presence felt. Each little kick was saving their mother's life. Unknown to her, Mrs Stepney, 35, had developed cervical cancer. Her unborn twins' constant kicking in the womb actually managed to dislodge the tumour. It was only when Mrs Stepney was taken to hospital with a suspected miscarriage that doctors realised she had cancer. They told her the babies had saved her life. Without them, the cancer may not...

Twin Brothers Get Perfect ACT Scores One Twin Had Three TriesPOSTED: 11:42 am EST January 17, 2008 UPDATED: 1:03 pm EST January 17, 2008 BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Brian and Ross DeVol are a perfect match, genetically and academically: The identical twins earned perfect ACT scores. The seniors at suburban Bellevue East High School both scored 36 on the college entrance exam, though Ross DeVol needed three tries. One of his earlier tries netted a 35. The 18-year-old brothers have maintained straight As through high school, and both are in the running for class valedictorian. "We're pretty competitive," Ross DeVol said....

London - A pair of twins in Britain who were separated at birth and adopted by different families married each other without realizing they were brother and sister and have now had their union annulled by a court, it was revealed Friday. The extraordinary case, brought to public attention by David Alton, a liberal member of Britain's House of Lords, prompted calls Friday for legislation enshrining a child's right to know who her or his biological parents are. The twins, whose marriage was recently annulled by a High Court judge because "it never validly existed," had felt an "inevitable attraction"...

Twins who were separated at birth have married each other, unaware that they were brother and sister. Each had been adopted by a different family, with neither being told they had a twin. A High Court judge annulled the marriage after the couple discovered they were siblings, the House of Lords has been told. The judge ruled that the marriage had never validly existed. The couple's identities, along with details of how they met and fell in love, remain a closely-guarded secret. But the cross-bench peer Lord Alton, who told the Lords the case had been revealed to him by...

A MARRIED couple have had their union annulled - after discovering they were twins. The twins were separated at birth and not told they had any siblings. They were adopted by different families, and - amazingly - as adults they met, fell in love and married. The High Court ruled the marriage had never been valid and annulled it. Further details of the case, and the identity of the twins, have been kept secret to protect them. Professor Lord Alton, who uncovered the case, said: "The right for children to know the identity of their biological parents is a human...

Quaids Sue Maker Of Blood Thinner Actor's Twins Given Accidental Massive DosePOSTED: 4:53 pm EST December 4, 2007 UPDATED: 5:21 pm EST December 4, 2007 LOS ANGELES -- Dennis Quaid and his wife sued the makers of heparin Tuesday after their newborn twins were inadvertently given massive doses of the blood thinner at a hospital. The product liability lawsuit, filed in Chicago, seeks more than $50,000 in damages. It claims that Baxter Healthcare Corp., based in Deerfield, Ill., was negligent in packaging different doses of the product in similar vials with blue backgrounds. The lawsuit also says the company should...

Actor Dennis Quaid's newborn twins have been admitted to a Los Angeles hospital's intensive care unit after they were accidentally given a drug overdose. Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, welcomed Thomas Boone Quaid and Zoe Grace Quaid into the world on November 8, but the babies are now fighting for their lives at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

TMZ has learned that Dennis Quaid's newborn twins are fighting for their lives after being inadvertently overdosed at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Sources tell us the twins -- Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace -- were accidentally given a massive dose of Heparin, an anti-coagulant. Babies typically get 10 units. Our sources say they were each mistakenly given 10,000 units. The drug is used to flush out IV lines and prevent blood clots. We're told one dose was given on Sunday morning, another on Sunday evening. We're told late Sunday night, both babies started to "bleed out." Both babies...

"Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind." --Albert Einstein Secularists today love to frame the religion vs. science debate as one of "superstitions" against fact as if theistic truth, morality and the spiritual aspect of humanity is meaningless fluff not to intersect with the hard fact and incontestability of science. But, as I quoted Einstein, the patron saint of scienceists, there is a part of science that dangerously crosses over into religion's realm of morality even as secularists try to deny that fact. And here is a story that does, indeed, show scientists crossing over into the...

England is abuzz about "The Boy Who Lived," and no, his name isn't Harry Potter, but he did survive a deliberate attempt on his life. Two, in fact, while still in his mother's womb. The boy, Gabriel Jones, was the weaker twin and had an enlarged heart. Doctors told his mother that they believed he would die in the womb, and if he did, they said, that would cause his brother to die, too. The despondent mother, Rebecca Jones, agreed to terminate Gabriel to save his twin brother, Ieuan. First doctors attempted to sever his umbilical cord, but according to...

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Wedgie-proof underwear earned 8-year-old twin boys a spot Friday on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Using rigged boxers and fabric fasteners to hold together some seams, Jared and Justin Serovich came up with the "Rip Away 1000." "When the person tries to grab you—like the bully or the person tries to give you a wedgie—they just rip away," Justin explained Thursday by phone from Los Angeles, where the TV segment was taped Wednesday. The third graders from Gables Elementary School began brainstorming one day after they were horsing around, giving each other the treatment. Their mother's partner...

They say twins share a strong bond - but the one between Gabriel and Ieuan Jones was unbreakable. When doctors found that Gabriel was weaker than his brother, with an enlarged heart,and believed he was going to die in the womb, his mother Rebecca Jones had to make a heartbreaking decision. Doctors told her his death could cause his twin brother to die too before they were born, and that it would be better to end Gabriel's suffering sooner rather than later. Mrs Jones decided to let doctors operate to terminate Gabriel's life. Firstly they tried to sever his umbilical...

They say twins share a strong bond - but the one between Gabriel and Ieuan Jones was unbreakable. When doctors found that Gabriel was weaker than his brother, with an enlarged heart,and believed he was going to die in the womb, his mother Rebecca Jones had to make a heartbreaking decision. Doctors told her his death could cause his twin brother to die too before they were born, and that it would be better to end Gabriel's suffering sooner rather than later. Mrs Jones decided to let doctors operate to terminate Gabriel's life. Firstly they tried to sever his umbilical...

Diet choices 'written in genes' Our genes and not just our upbringing may play a key role in our food likes and dislikes, UK researchers believe. Experts from Kings College London compared the eating habits of thousands of pairs of twins. Identical twins were far more likely to share the same dietary patterns - like a penchant for coffee and garlic - suggesting tastes may be inherited. A health psychologist said this meant childhood food foibles might be harder to put right than previously thought. We have assumed that our upbringing and social environment determine what we like to eat....

I, a conservative Christian, am partly responsible for passing one of the most pro-gay agendas in American history. Starting January 1, 2008, California will implement SB-777, a bill that goes far beyond the old standard of public schools not being able to do anything that would “reflect adversely” on homosexuality. Now, the new standard is you can’t do anything that would show either a “discriminatory bias” against homosexuality or anything that would favor heterosexuality. Let me put this in simple terms. Textbooks that now refer to “mother and father” or “mom and dad” or “King and Queen” will soon have...

If you buy into the Washington logic that a flawless campaign is one that doesn’t make gaffes, never goes off-message and never makes news, then this analysis makes sense. The Clinton machine runs as smoothly and efficiently as a Rolls. And like a fine car, it is just as likely to lull its driver into complacent coasting and its passengers to sleep. What I saw on television last Sunday was the incipient second coming of the can’t-miss 2000 campaign of Al Gore. That Mr. Gore, some may recall, was not the firebrand who emerged from defeat, speaking up early against...

A pet store has bought a two-headed turtle from a collector and plans to keep it on display, the store manager said. The 2-month-old turtle, actually conjoined red-eared slider twins, fits on a silver dollar. It has two heads sticking out from opposite ends of its shell, along with a pair of front feet on each side. But there is just one set of back feet and one tail. The turtle is apparently healthy, and the species can live 15 to 20 years, said Jay Jacoby, manager of Big Al's Aquarium Supercenter in East Norriton. The turtle has not...

CANBERRA (Reuters) - A lesbian couple in Australia are suing their doctor after they had twin girls from an in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure when they only wanted one child. The two women are seeking more than A$400,000 ($340,000) in damages to help pay for the cost of raising the second child, including private school fees, saying they had made it clear to their doctor that they only wanted one baby. The twins are now 3 years old and the civil case, the first of its kind in Australia, has prompted debate about the value of children and the role...

by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com EditorAugust 29, 2007 Rome, Italy (LifeNews.com) -- The investigation has begun in the case of a botched abortion done on a woman carrying twins. One of the unborn children was healthy and the other was afflicted with Down syndrome and the target of the abortion. Now, the mother of the twins and the abortion practitioner are speaking out.The case is raising the ugly specter of abortions done to kill disabled people. Doctors told Italian media that the babies moved during the abortion procedure and changed position compared to their locations during a pre-abortion examination.The mother, who has...

KIRKUK, Iraq, Aug. 17, 2007 – Twin sisters and fellow Army Spcs. Sarah and Angela Andrews helped promote their brother, Ryan McCarty, to sergeant here earlier this month. Ryan McCarty (right), of 2nd Squadron, 6th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, gets pinned with sergeant rank by his twin sisters, Spcs. Sarah (center) and Angela Andrews (left), both soldiers with 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, at Forward Operating Base Warrior, in Kirkuk, Iraq, Aug. 10. McCarty’s sisters traveled from Forward Operating Base Warhorse, in Baqubah, for the event and brief family reunion. Photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts, USA  (Click...

July 30, 2007 issue - For a European politician, Andrzej Lepper always cut an unlikely figure. Over the years, the Polish deputy prime minister has been convicted of slander and assault. Allegations of an attempted rape of a prostitute (which he refuses to comment on) and taking part in a sex-for-jobs scam (which he denies) have been widely reported in the press. Then two weeks ago Lepper, leader of the populist Self Defence Party, a junior partner in the ruling coalition, was forced from his job over allegations of bribery (which Lepper also denied): a black mark for a government...

Identical twins Capt. Jordan Burfield (left), Company C, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division and Capt. Jonah Burfield, 47th Ordnance Company, 79th Ordnance Battalion, are reunited at the Al Faw Palace on Camp Victory in western Baghdad for their promotions to captain, July 1, 2007. This deployment has been the longest period of time the Lacrosse, Wis., natives have been separated. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Shea Butler U.S. Army Capt. Jordan Burfield U.S. Army Capt. Jonah Burfield Identical Twins Pin on Captain’s Bars Together By Spc. Shea Butler 7th Mobile Public Affairs...

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Identical twins are among the newest priests in the Green Bay Catholic Diocese.Ben and Joel Sember were ordained yesterday along with Andrew Kyserly.James Sember, the twins' father, said he couldn't get them to apply any place else or do anything else.The twins will both serve in the Green Bay diocese, but say their ministries will be different.Joel Sember says that, although they have the same background and the same genes, they have different approach to things in general.His brother, Ben, says he hopes they don't ever get assigned to the same parish. He says it...

When it comes to children, one Dallas mother knows about having them in pairs. The odds are one in 500,000 but she's giving birth today to her third set of twins at Baylor University Medical Center. But with the joy comes great challenges. Inside the wood frame house, life resembles the nursery rhyme of the old woman who lived in a shoe. But here, young mom Amanda Gonzales cares for four-year-old Natalie, three-year-old twins Adam and Sebastian and two-year-old twins Rachel and Raquel. Two more twin girls are scheduled for a c-section birth today. "I've always taken care of kids...

Here is one pair of twin brothers that few will have any difficulty telling apart. For although Byron and Lincoln Ryman were born within a minute of each other, firstborn Byron - at 3lb 6oz a small baby himself - was precisely three times bigger than his sibling. Eleven weeks premature, both boys were given a slim chance of survival - particularly Lincoln, weighing only 1lb 2oz at birth. But yesterday the pair, now just over five weeks old, were doing well, thanks to the dedicated staff at the Royal Hospital for Women in Sydney. Lincoln has gained 10oz, while...

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. --A young mother who smothered her crying 9-month-old twin boys with a pillow and then went back to sleep was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Lakeia White, 20, pleaded guilty but mentally ill Wednesday to two counts of homicide by child abuse. She admitted putting a pillow over her sons Devion and Trevon Wilson on Oct. 11 to settle them down.

Scientists have revealed details of the world's only known case of "semi-identical" twins. The journal Nature says the twins are identical on their mother's side, but share only half their genes on their father's side. They are the result of two sperm cells fertilising a single egg, which then divided to form two embryos - and each sperm contributed genes to each child. Each stage is unlikely, and scientists believe the twins are probably unique. These twins were born in the US, but neither their identity or their exact location is being revealed. Their case is also reported in the...

Years and years ago, when I was a sportswriter, I covered the Minnesota Twins in spring training at Tinker Field in Orlando, Fla. It was a rickety old ballpark. Not only was this a cushy assignment in terms of intensity and pacing, but I would say it was virtually an inconvenience for a ball club to actually have to print tickets so paying customers could watch a game. Crowds of 600 seemed about average. I only mention this because for the first time in about 25 years, I returned to spring training in Florida. The Twins now train in Fort...

One year after the death of Kirby Puckett, the Minnesota Twins paused to remember the Hall of Fame outfielder and his lasting impact on the organization. Center fielder Torii Hunter, a close friend and the only current Twins player who was a teammate of Puckett's during past spring trainings, has found it difficult to talk about the subject since Puckett died of a stroke at age 45 on March 6 last year. "I got up this morning, and I prayed for him and his family. I know it must be a tough day for them," said Hunter, who first met...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: The President and First Lady spent the weekend at the White House. As is their custom when in Washington on Sunday, they attended services at St. John's Episcopal Church this morning.

Requesting prayers for my nephew Kasey.Kasey is a twin. He was born with half a heart and spent his first four years with blue fingers and toes. Kasey was given a new birth when he recieved a new heart just before his 5th birthday. Yesterday he went for his regular 6 month check up and tests showed signs of rejection. His behavior or his current health condition showed no indication that there was a problem. So this has taken us by surprise.Last night his condition worsened rapidly. One chamber of his new heart has stopped functioning. As I type this...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Justin Morneau had some stiff competition when it came to earning American League Most Valuable Player honors, and that was just on his team. But while the Twins had three players finish in the top seven in voting for the award, Morneau came out on top Tuesday as he was announced as this year's American League Most Valuable Player. Despite many people expecting Derek Jeter to win the award, Morneau's breakout season earned him the honor bestowed by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Morneau edged Jeter by earning 320 points to the shortstop's 306. Morneau received 15...

MINNEAPOLIS -- Justin Morneau had some stiff competition when it came to earning American League Most Valuable Player honors, and that was just on his team. But while the Twins had multiple candidates for the league's award, Morneau came out on top Tuesday as he was announced as this year's American League MVP. Despite many people expecting Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter to win the award, Morneau's breakout season earned him the honor bestowed by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. All Morneau did in 2006 was to put together one of the best offensive seasons in Twins history. The first...

NEW YORK - Johan Santana won the AL Cy Young Award on Thursday for the second time in three years, and the Minnesota Twins' ace was a unanimous choice once again. Santana received all 28 first-place votes for a perfect total of 140 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Chien-Ming Wang of the New

Claim: A struggling newborn was helped by the healing hug of her twin. Status: True. (snip) This is a picture from an article called "The Rescuing Hug." The article details the first week of life of a set of twins. Apparently, each were in their respective incubators, and one was not expected to live. A hospital nurse fought against hospital rules and placed the babies in one incubator. When they were placed together the healthier of the two threw an arm over her sister in a endearing embrace. The smaller baby's heart rate stabilized and her temperature rose to normal....

Josephine Tesauro never thought she would live so long. At 92, she is straight backed, firm jawed and vibrantly healthy, living alone in an immaculate brick ranch house high on a hill near McKeesport, a Pittsburgh suburb. She works part time in a hospital gift shop and drives her 1995 white Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera to meetings of her four bridge groups, to church and to the grocery store. She has outlived her husband, who died nine years ago, when he was 84. She has outlived her friends, and she has outlived three of her six brothers. Mrs. Tesauro does, however,...

...Baseball fans thirsty for a good pennant race, a legit battle among potential world champions, should keep their eyes glued to the AL Central this September. Three of the five best teams in baseball are duking it out for two spots. Actually, no need to wait until September. The final leg of the race begins Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, where the team with the best record in baseball, the Detroit Tigers, takes on the playoff-bound Yanks in the first of a three-game set. Next into the Bronx? The Minnesota Twins, who have baseball's best record since June 10 (49-20) and...

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world. A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in...

Strange 'twin' new worlds found A pair of strange new worlds that blur the boundaries between planets and stars have been discovered beyond our Solar System. A few dozen such objects have been identified in recent years but this is the first set of "twins". Dubbed "planemos", they circle each other rather than orbiting a star. Their existence challenges current theories about the formation of planets and stars, astronomers report in the journal Science. "This is a truly remarkable pair of twins - each having only about 1% the mass of our Sun," said Ray Jayawardhana of the University of...