Where Do They Belong?

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That was a big mistake. The lurid stories that ensued about Internet baby buying provoked Prime Minister Tony Blair to condemn the affair as "absolutely deplorable" and to promise quick reforms in British law. Follow-up stories painted the Kilshaws as difficult neighbors with a dirty, animal-filled house that they had once had "ghostbusted" by investigators of the paranormal. They were accused of being so eager to argue about the babies with the Allens through international TV hookups as to neglect them in real life. The stories were one-sided, but the Kilshaws hurt themselves by trumpeting their conversations with Hollywood moguls about turning their tale into a movie.

They expected to ride out the storm. A valid U.S. adoption must be recognized in Britain. But the media scrutiny exposed their vulnerabilities. Wecker announced she wanted the babies back again, declaring she had used an aunt's address to fake the 30-day residency required to seek an Arkansas adoption. She said the Kilshaws knew this at the time, though Alan denies it. The Arkansas decree cannot become final before June, and authorities there are likely to challenge it because of Wecker's admission. What's more, the Kilshaws did not apply for the entry permits to Britain required for new adoptees, bringing the babies home instead as tourists--a possible immigration offense. They also obtained their "home study," required of adoptive parents in both the U.S. and Britain, from a private social worker. That may have passed muster in Arkansas, but it is unacceptable in Britain. In the wake of a torrent of public disgust, officials in northern Wales obtained a court order and last week swooped down on the Kilshaw home, removing the twins to foster care, at least for now. The Kilshaws plan to contest that move at a hearing this week.

Meanwhile, the twins are in their fourth home in six months. "Thank goodness they have each other, but you can be pretty certain they haven't had any sense of calm continuity in their lives," says Gill Haworth, Director of the Overseas Adoption Helpline in London. "It hasn't got them off to the best start." Their trauma isn't over either. If the Kilshaws' adoption is judged invalid, the children could be returned to their mother, who despite her fickle actions and possible perjury may yet enjoy the law's preference for keeping kids with their birth parents. But what would she do with them next?