Twins Secretly Separated 

The question of whether genetics or the environment play a bigger factor in shaping our behaviors and development, has been a recorded debate since the time of Ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle. Twin studies have been key within this debate for their ability to measure the contribution of genetics.

Though Peter B. Neubauer is infamously credited for his twin studies, the practice of separating twins existed before any of his involvement. In the 1950s, Viola W. Bernard, a New York-based chief psychiatrist at the Louise Wise Services adoption agency, advised the agency to separate twins put up for adoption. Her reasoning was, there would be less burden to the adoptive parents and thus an increased chance for both twins faring better. When Dr. Bernard informed Dr. Neubauer, director of a Jewish board who oversaw Louise Wise and other services, of this practice in the 1960s, he saw an opportunity for research. He examined the twins at Louise Wise Services before and after their adoptions and separation. After adoption, he continued to administer several test to track the children’s development until unofficially stopping around the 1980s.

There are many ethical concerns with both the study and the adoption agency. To begin, the agency shamed unmarried mothers into giving their twins up for adoption. They then turned around and hid from adoptive parents the fact that the child they adopted was a twin. Though the adoptive parents consented to what they were told of the study, them and the twins had no knowledge of what–or more like who–they were saying goodbye to. The exact number of twins used in the study is unknown, as many twins found to be fraternal were dropped from the study early on. Due to this ambiguity, it is difficult to estimate the total damage this study has caused, however, the fates of the twins that have entered public eye offers a grim insight. 

Several documentaries have come out that shine a light on this study and gave a voice to some of the victims. One set of twins from the study, Ellen Carbone and Melania Mertzel, found each other through pure coincidence as adults. When interviewed for 60 minutes, Melania expressed how she felt like a “human guinea pig” and was robbed of what should have been a close relationship. An experience and sentiments expressed by several other of the twins/triplets who were unwillingly part of the study. Their attempts to gain access to their files and study records have been a herculean task. This knowledge–or lack thereof– pushed many of the twins, and one of the triplets to take their own lives. For the twins and triplets still alive, getting full access to their records has continued to be a struggle. Many of the twins will pass away not knowing the full extent of how their lives have been manipulated, as access to the study are sealed at Yale University until 2065, when the remaining twins and triplets will have presumably passed.

References

References:

Fitzsimons, B. (2023, November 22). Ellen and Melanie were 23 when they first met. They were part of a secret “twin experiment”. Mamamia. https://www.mamamia.com.au/twins-separated-at-birth/

Health, M. (2024). Three identical strangers: The unbelievable case - mental health general. Mental Health General. https://www.mentalhealthgeneral.com/three-identical-strangers-the-unbelievable-case/ 

Klitzman, R. L., & Kelmenson, A. M. (2020). Experiment on identical siblings separated at birth: Ethical implications for researchers, universities, and archives today. Journal of Medical Ethics, 47(10), medethics-2019-105983. https://doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2019-105983

McCormack, W. (2026). Records from controversial twin study sealed at yale until 2065 | yale daily news. Yale Daily News. https://yaledailynews.com/articles/records-from-controversial-twin-study-sealed-at-yale-until-2065

Prentice, R. (2018). Systematically analyzing three identical strangers. Ethics Unwrapped. https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/systematically-analyzing-three-identical-strangers

Sahu, M., & Prasuna, J. G. (2016). Twin studies: A unique epidemiological tool. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 41(3), 177. https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-0218.183593