A married couple were told they were biological twins after they visited an IVF clinic because they were struggling to conceive a child.
According to DailyMail reports, a Jackson, Mississippi, fertility doctor informed the unidentified pair that they were biological twins after he noticed the striking similarities in their DNA, it was revealed on Thursday.
The siblings had been tragically separated at a young age after their biological parents died and they were adopted into different families, both not knowing about the other.
The devastated couple was left at a loss with what to do, as marriage between siblings is outlawed in the southern state.
Neither the couple nor doctor can be named for patient confidentiality reasons.
After the doctor informed the husband and wife that they were related, the pair tried to put together the pieces of their lives, reported the Mississippi Herald.
They realized their parents both died in a car accident and due to a filing error when they were adopted by other families, the adoption parents were never told about their child’s other sibling.
The pair unknowingly reunited while attending college and they quickly bonded over their strikingly similar backgrounds and fell in love.
The physician told the news outlet: ‘They were attracted to each other due to their similarities. They felt they could really connect with each other. If only they had known the truth, it could have saved them so much pain later on.
He added: ‘For me, it’s a particularly unusual case because my job is all about helping couples conceive a child. This is the first time in my career that I’ve been glad I haven’t succeeded in that regard.’
The paper reported that the penalty for marrying a sibling in Mississippi is up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $500.
Due to the highly unusual nature of this instance, the couple would not face any charges, it is believed.
