CONJOINED TWINS
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James Joyner | Wednesday, July 16, 2003 |
I haven’t posted on the tragic story of the Iranian sisters who died last week as a result of a failed operation to split them after 29 years of being conjoined at the head. Charles Krauthammer, a medical doctor by training if not vocation, however, has some very interesting thoughts on the subject in Time.
The twins suffered from an error of nature, a mistake in individuation. They were asking for nothing more than the possibility of solitude. To risk everything for this was perfectly rational â indeed, an act of nobility and great courage. Their doctors were assisting heroism, not suicide. They should feel no guilt, only sorrow that victory once again went to nature, in all its cruelty.
A tough call, but I think he’s right.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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Comments
And dare it be said that Mr. Krauthammer knows more than most of us about "nature, in all its cruelty."
But rather than whine and be defeated he is one of the best in his business.
He is a man who lives what he speaks and many people could learn from him.
P
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Posted by Paul | July 16, 2003 | 11:50 am | Permalink
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