NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: In Manchester, England, doctors labored for 15 hours today to separate twin sisters joined at the hip. The controversial operation, which we've told you about before, means death for one, but could extend the life of the other. Here's CNN's Margaret Lowrie.</s>MARGARET LOWRIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The surgery got under way at St. Mary's Hospital in Manchester early Monday morning, some six weeks after Britain's appeals court ruled the operation could go ahead against the parents' wishes. The parents of the 3-month-old conjoined twins had originally asked the court to prevent their separation. The twins, known only as Jodie and Mary, were joined at the abdomen, their spines fused. The weaker twin, Mary, did not have a working heart or lungs and relied completely on Jodie's for her own existence. Doctors said both would die within six months if they did not operate. But they believed Jodie stood a good chance of survival if separated from her dependent sister. The girls were born at St. Mary's on August 8th. Their parents originally went there seeking medical treatment unavailable in their native Malta. Devout Catholics, they opposed the separation. They said God should decide the girls' fate, not doctors. But they did not further challenge the September court ruling. The operation is described as complex, as well as controversial. It involves up to 20 staff, including neonatal and pediatric surgeons, neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, and various nurses. Margaret Lowrie, CNN, London.
Doctors Perform Controversial Conjoined Twin Separation in England