WE do not doubt Alan and Judith Kilshaw's fervent wish to have children. Nor do we doubt that they will be loving and caring parents of twins Belinda and Kimberley.

Their ability to give the girls a secure home and a suitable upbringing is not in question.

It will not be in the interests of the children to see them returned to the United States and be the subject of a legal battle to determine who should be their legitimate adoptive parents.

What remains in question, however, is the manner in which the couple secured this instant addition to their family.

There is something unseemly about an adoption process which involves trading babies on the Internet, or as part of any commercial venture for that matter.

These are human beings, flesh and blood; not commodities to be hawked around the world and sold to the highest bidder.

There are justifiable criticisms of the adoption system in this country. A system which perhaps makes it too difficult for some couples, like the Kilshaws, to have the chance of providing a loving home to unwanted children.

There is a need for a relaxation in some of the current rules for adoption, many of which are outdated and bar parents with little justification.

But any reforms in Britain must not dilute the principle enshrined in existing legislation that the interests of the children are paramount.

The welfare and well-being of vulnerable babies and young children must continue to be the overriding factor.

We must never allow our rules to mirror those in the United States; rules which the Kilshaws exploited for their own benefit.

A system which allows children to be bought and sold on the Internet in a grotesque auction, and which places more importance on financial gain than the welfare of infants, is patently not in the interests of the children.

It is alarming that there exists a system in which the wealth of a couple counts for more than their ability to be good parents.

It is a matter of great concern that children adopted in this manner in the United States can be freely brought into this country.

Such a loophole must be closed immediately to discourage others taking part in this unsavoury trade.