Melbourne Law School - Research Publications

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Splitting heirs

Park, M. M. (Law Institute of Victoria, 1993-03)

This is a letter published in the Law Institute Journal. Discusses the common misconception that both twins must share the same parents. Although it is rare for non-identical twins to have separate fathers, it is possible. It is only in the instance of identical twins resulting from the abnormal division of a single fertilized egg into two identical fertilized eggs that such twins share identical genetic characteristics and the same parents. In the case of fraternal twins resulting from the separate fertilization of separate eggs with such twins sharing some (but not all) genetic characteristics genetic testing of both twins is required to comprehensively determine the paternity of each of the twins. In the case of identical twins the genetic testing of only one twin is sufficient to determine the paternity of both twins. However, the only means to conclusively determine that twins are identical is by genetic testing of both twins.