From what I understand of the situation, it was widely believed that twins would be better off raised separately, because it would allow each to develop as a unique person, instead of being constantly treated as half of a single entity, dressed alike, doing the same activities, etc. (I’m not agreeing, I’m just saying that’s what they thought.) Twins that were put up for adoption were routinely split up until, I believe, the late 1970s or so. These girls were most likely destined to be split up anyway.
Where did you get the "widely belived" thing from, Al Gore?