Conjoined twins Brittany and Abby Hensel reached a major milestone in their lives. Abby is now married, and people expressed their concern and confusion over the development.
Conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel | Source: YouTube/Screen Static
Sisters Abby and Brittany became instant celebrities in 1996 when their story was featured on “The Oprah Show.” Since then, their development was documented in a TLC reality series, but the latest big event in their lives took place quietly.
Conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel | Source: YouTube/Screen Static
Abby Wed Low-Key
According to public records reportedly obtained by Today, Abby, now 34, wed Josh Bowling, a United States Army veteran and nurse, in 2021. The couple lives in Minnesota, where the conjoined sisters were born and now work as fifth-grade teachers.
Abby and her husband, Josh Bowling’s first dance after tying the knot | Source: Instagram/dailymail
Social media users weighed in on the news. Since conjoined twins are rare, some expressed their confusion as not much is known about how they navigate daily life.
Conjoined twin Abby Hensel’s first dance with her husband | Source: Instagram/dailymail
People React to the News
“I’m pleased for her but I’m not sure how it works!” a Facebook user wrote.“What happens if the other sister wants to marry someone else..or if one wants to go out and the other one doesn’t,” asked another.
Some social media users tried to put themselves in that situation. “The other conjoined twin made a huge sacrifice,” one opined, with another adding, “It’s a happy day for one but it had to be a sad day for the other. Nobody likes being the 3rd wheel. Hopefully, he is married to both technically.”
Having to separate bodies was never an option for them.
Attempts to clarify points raised also made their way into the comment section. “Okay so that means if one of them can feel the left-hand side and the other can feel the right-hand side then they both feel pleasure during intimacy,” one wrote.
Abby Hensel and her husband share a kiss during their first dance as a married couple | Source: Instagram/dailymail
A different comment focused more on other aspects of the situation, “I don’t know if Britney will marry separately, but I doubt it because I remember one of them had said that if they were to get married, the husband would have to accept both of them..also, you can’t marry 2 women ..it’s our law to marry one wife in the USA, so he had to marry one.”
How They Are Conjoined
As one of the commenters noted, Abby and Brittany share many organes, including a bladder, liver, intestines, and reproductive tract.
They have distinct nervous systems, which results in each only feeling their half of tactile sensations, apart from shared sensation along a narrow strip on their back.
They share a bloodstream, and also mastered coordination since Brittany controls the left side of their body, and Abby the right. But they also have independently functioning systems – the sisters have separate urges for sleep and urination and also experience hunger separately.
