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Internet Twins
Last year, two twin baby girls were simultaneously adopted by two different sets of parents over the internet. The Allens were from California; the Kilshaws from England—both couples thought they had legal custody. The news quickly became an international controversy. Should children be put up for adoption over the Internet? Were they being sold? What went wrong? Where do the babies belong now? In February 2001, the two couples met face-to-face on The Oprah Winfrey Show for the first time to get to the bottom of these issues.
Follow-Up In April 2001, an Arkansas judge ruled that the Kilshaws' adoption was illegal. The twins were ordered to return to the United States. The Kilshaws decided not to appeal the case, saying that it would be better for the girls if they didn't. They had already racked up $90,000 in legal bills and lost their seven-bedroom farmhouse. The Allens also decided to discontinue their pursuit for custody of the twins. Richard Allen has been accused of molesting two of their teenage babysitters. He has pleaded not guilty, but their foster child has already been removed from their home. The birth parents are now fighting each other for the custody of the twins. However, the birth mother has pleaded guilty to fraud to falsifying documents to illegally receive public assistance. If convicted, she could face up to a year in prison. The twins are reportedly in foster care in Missouri, pending the outcome of the custody battle.
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