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Internet, Money, & Adoption

The Chase

More of this Feature • Tug-of-War • The Chase • Comments  from • Al Wei • Adam Pertman • Dian Wellfare • Mary Mooney     Related Resources • Adoption Fraud • Adoption News • Agencies on the Net • UK Adoption Resources    Elsewhere on the Web • Arkansas Adoption Law • Currency Converter

The Kilshaws, the twins, the twins' birthmother Tranda Wecker, and her older daughter... all six... loaded into a rental car. First stop was St. Louis, MO to get the twins' birth certificate, then on to Arkansas, where they had been told adoption laws were "more relaxed."

[In a parallel drama, Wecker's estranged husband, Aaron, notified the Allens about the location of the Kilshaws & Co. and the Kilshaws state that they got calls in Kansas and Arizona from the Allens. News stories report that the Allens have called in the FBI.]

When they arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas, Tranda Wecker and her older daughter returned to Missouri. However, Aaron Wecker was reportedly asking for money before agreeing to the adoption. The Kilshaws say they paid him £700. (approximately $1,000.), and their lawyer promised to "give him a good deal on his divorce from Tranda."

Relaxed in Arkansas

If all parties are agreeable, Arkansas' 10-day waiting period is, indeed, relaxed. A few minutes in court and the Kilshaws were parents of the twins. [Note: In independent California adoptions, there is a 90-day period during which relinquishment can be rescinded.]

Where Are They Now?

The twin girls are in foster care in Missouri. In December 2002, parental rights were terminated on both biological parents.

Questions, Anyone?

I have so many questions about this entire affair, beginning with ethical considerations, the Arkansas judicial process, why a cross-country trip was deemed necessary at all, and the bad taste of *high bid takes the day* generated by the stories to date, but the first questions I'll ask are:

• Is the Internet an appropriate medium for adoption, information about children, and completion of any portion of the process without face-to-face meetings? And if so, is there any way to ensure ethical practices over the Net? If not, what steps need to be taken to stop it?

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