Killing Mary to save Jodie: conjoined twins and individual rights.

Abstract

In September, 2000, British surgeons separated month-old conjoined twins against their parents' wishes. The operation prolonged indefinitely the life of one twin while causing the immediate death of the other. The author analyzes the competing views of the twins' embodiment that informed the debate over their separation, and argues that the resolution of their conflicting claims was a more difficult task than either side of the debate acknowledged.