Our Siamese twins horror

A PREGNANT teenager and her lover face a heart-breaking choice after discovering they are expecting Siamese twins.

Devastated mum-to-be Callisa Springthorpe has been told she can abort BOTH babies now, or continue with her pregnancy knowing that only ONE can survive.

Anguish

Even then she faces yet another nightmare dilemma— deciding which child will live and which will die. For the tots are joined at the chest, share a single heart and only one can survive separation.

Even worse, Callisa, 19, and her partner Gary Wilden, a church minister, pictured left, may have to wait until their twins are FOUR YEARS OLD before making the awful choice.

Choking back tears, Callisa explained: "The twins may not be strong enough for surgery until then—and by then they'll be walking and talking.

"We'll be used to their mannerisms, their laugh and their smile and we won't want that to end. How difficult will it be to say goodbye to them then?

"The night before the operation we could be reading them a story, they'll be calling us Mummy and Daddy— and the next day one will probably die.

"It will be heartbreaking. But it will come down to us to make that judgment."

The couple learned the horrifying news about their babies when Callisa went for her first routine scan on August 6 at their local hospital in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

They thought it would be a quick job, then off home clutching that prized first photo for the family album. Shaking, Callisa told us: "I knew something was wrong when the nurse looked at the screen and her face dropped.

"She ran to get a colleague who explained we were expecting conjoined twins. We were both in shock. Even then, the hospital advised a termination."

Experts say the babies' may not survive the pregnancy. But brave Callisa told us: "I feel the babies kicking and I must let nature take its course.

"If I told doctors to terminate it would be like playing God."

The case mirrors that of the Attard twins in 2000. Gracie and her tragic sister Rosie were born alive—but only one could live—and if they were not divided both would die.

Doctors fought their Maltese parents in the British courts for the right to separate them, and Rosie died after the op. Callisa, who has a two-year-old daughter Chloe from a previous relationship, is supported by Gary, 46, a minister for the World Christian Fellowship church.

"I'd never be forgiven by God if I persuaded Callisa to get rid of our children," said Gary, who is also a mental health support worker.

Joined

"The twins' shared heart is beating and they're developing like any other baby."

The couple have now been referred to King's College School of Medicine and specialist Professor Kypros Nicolaides.

A detailed scan revealed the babies are joined from the upper chest to the mid-stomach and share a large part of the liver as well as the heart. The professor had to spell out the reality of what's ahead.

Callisa said: "I wept as I was told it would be best to terminate. I was devastated. It's not as if they're toy dolls you can take back to the shop. They're real human beings inside me."

The couple were given the full facts about separation and termination procedures. But on Monday Callisa had an 18-week scan showing both babies fit and healthy.

Gary said: "In an ideal world I want Callisa to continue with the pregnancy then come to a decision whether to separate.

"We'd prefer to see how the operation goes rather than step in now and determine if our child lives or not. We must let fate play its hand."