“Twins born same day, same mother but having two fathers” is a phenomenon called superfecundation whereby there are fertilizations of two or more ova from the same cycle by sperm from separate acts of sexual intercourse with different men. This often leads to twin babies from two separate biological fathers.
In 2009, Mia Washington from Texas, USA, gave birth to twins with different fathers. After undergoing paternity testing due to the different appearances of her twins, it was confirmed that Mia had conceived the twins through superfecundation.
Also, Alysha Morgan, from California, USA, conceived fraternal twins with different fathers in 2015. Initially, Alysha and her partner were surprised by the difference in appearances of their twins. Subsequent paternity testing confirmed that they were indeed the result of superfecundation.
Twins normally occur when two babies are born to one mother after a single pregnancy. Identical twins, monozygotic, usually formed when one zygote created with just one egg and one sperm, splits into two new eggs, resulting in two embryos rather than one. Each embryo then develops into a separate fetus.
But fraternal twins, dizygotic, happen when two separate eggs are fertilized by two separate sperm.
While fraternal twins share about 50% of the same genes, identical twins share 100%. This is why fraternal twins usually don’t look as alike as identical ones.
Hence, the resemblance of a set of twins and their biological mother is never in doubt unlike when a set of twins is birthed by a surrogate mother or a case where donor eggs are used.
There can never be an identical twins comimg out of two different fathers since each of the eggs is fertilized by different sperms. Identical twins normally form from the combination of a single egg and a single sperm.
Fraternal twins are usually the result of hyperovulation. This is the release of multiple eggs in a single cycle. It is a situation in which each of the eggs is fertilized by sperm from different men, leading them to have different biological fathers and the twins to be half-siblings. Sometimes, this is called heteropaternal superfecundation.
Heteropaternal superfecundation may also happen when twins are formed as a result of fertility treatments.
An example of this was when there was a mix up in a laboratory where an equipment was unintentionally used twice. This was the cause of the Dutch twin boys conceived through IVF with sperms from different fathers.
A Dutch couple in their 30s had been trying to have a baby for more than five years. Eventually, they sought help from one of the best fertility clinics in the Netherlands.
They provided their sperm and eggs to the clinic’s experts, who conducted in vitro fertilization in March 1993. In December of the same year, the couple welcomed Teun and Koen, two healthy twin baby boys.
However, the birth of the twins revealed an unexpected biological abnormality that then became a topic of discussion in the Netherlands. Little Teun has the same white skin and blond hair as his father and mother, while little Koen has black skin.
Later, the hospital directors at Utrecht University, where the procedure took place, admitted that a “deeply regrettable mistake” occurred. They acknowledged that the woman’s eggs were accidentally fertilized with sperm from a different man, in addition to her husband’s sperm.
As stated earlier, superfecundation is a phenomenon that occurs when a woman becomes pregnant by different men during the same ovulation period. This can happen when a woman releases multiple eggs and has sexual intercourse with different partners within a short period of time.
It typically occurs when a woman releases multiple eggs during ovulation and engages in sexual activity with different partners within a few days. Sperm from each partner can fertilize separate eggs, resulting in the conception of twins who have different fathers.
Superfecundation is not exclusive to humans; it has also been observed in various animal species. For instance:
a. Dogs: In cases where a female dog mate with multiple male dogs during the same heat cycle. This can result in litters of puppies with different fathers.
b. Cats: Female cats that mate with multiple male cats within a short period can give birth to kittens with different fathers.
c. Cattle: It can occur when a cow is artificially inseminated with semen from different bulls, resulting in twins with different sires.
What does the Bible say about one mother giving birth to a set of twins having two fathers?
There are three recorded cases of twins in the Bible. They are:
1. Jacob and Esau: These two brothers are from Isaac and his wife Rebekah, Genesis 25:22–26
2. Perez and Zerah: These set of twins came from Judah and Tamar. Judah had thought Tamar was a harlot and took her for such; whereas she was the widow of his deseased son, Genesis 38.
3. Thomas Didymus: Thomas Didymus is a Greek name meaning “twin” John 11:16. The name Thomas also means “twin” in Aramaic, John 20:24; John 21:2. However, Thomas’s twin brother was not mentioned in the Bible.
In all these Bible references on sets of twins, it has always only been one father and one mother. There had never been a case of two fathers to a twin.
It is therefore apparent that whatever made a woman to sleep with two men to conceive a twin must have been a committal of adultery, concubinage or extra-marital affairs which is against the will of God as stated in Exoodus 20:14 “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
1 Comment
Williams
Exactly