After the baby was born, he found out that it had been sent to another state to live with a different family.
Even after his daughter was taken from him against his choice and placed for adoption, Chris Emanuel’s love for his daughter remained unwavering throughout their entire lives.
The father, who was 25 years old at the time, fought the court every step of the way, but it was a fight that was nearly impossible for him to win.
Then, a stunning turn of events took place. It is the tale of a man who risked everything in a fervent fight for the rights of fathers to spend time with his children.
Everything began when Emanuel’s girlfriend became pregnant for the first time.
They had moved to Aiken, South Carolina, and Emanuel’s girlfriend was very different from some of the other women he had dated in the past. She had a very strong sense of independence. He described her to ABC News as a girly woman but like playing pool despite her image. In addition to that, she had an excellent horsemanship ability.
Emanuel could hardly contain his excitement when he learned that he was going to have a child.
Despite the fact that they hailed from different places, he was completely willing to commit to her and give the relationship a shot at succeeding. They began talking about getting married.
Emanuel shared: “I was happy, who wouldn’t be happy? It was my first child and at the time, you know, I’m going to be there. We’re going to do everything we got to do.”
However, the situation was not what he expected
Emanuel began to wonder if the fact that he was of a different racial background would have something to do with the fact that a long-awaited reunion between the two families did not go as planned.
Emanuel shared: “Like hearing racism but actually feeling it, it totally different. It’s like being punched in the stomach. The crazy thing about it was when we left she reassured me that we would continue to raise our child together.”
In the end, it didn’t make a difference whatever commitments or promises the two of them made to one another.
It was Emanuel’s fiancée who gave up their newborn daughter for adoption after she gave birth to Emanuel, and he had no say in the situation. They assured him that they would inform him of the due date of the baby in order for him to be present for the delivery of the child. On the other hand, he didn’t even find out that the baby had been born until a week later, when a messenger knocked on his door to give him an update. In actuality, he had no idea that the delivery had taken place until that moment.
He was informed that the kid had been born and that arrangements for the adoption had already been made with a family in a different state.
The paperwork had already been completed. Emanuel’s hopes and dreams of becoming a parent were dashed in an instant.
Emanuel recalled: “My daughter was stolen from me. I asserted my rights. My rights were stripped of me. But not only that, now I’ve got to prove myself for my daughter.”
It was explained to the potential adoptive family that the biological father of the child had already been eliminated from the picture; but, in Emanuel’s opinion, this explanation was completely false. The law did not let him to become a parent, despite the fact that he deeply desired it. After Emanuel fought for his daughter in court for a period of three months, he was eventually able to bring her home to be with him.
Things frequently go badly wrong for the vast majority of fathers who make an attempt to win custody of their children in court. Emanuel was one of the fortunate individuals, despite the fact that, after everything that he has been through, it does not appear to be the case.
Emanuel told: “All I could do was break down on my knees, and I cried and I thanked God for bringing my daughter home because all I needed was for her to get in my arms.”
If Emanuel hadn’t had the foresight to put his name to the state’s responsible father registration prior to the birth of the child, no one would have even bothered to get in touch with him about it. He would have been utterly unaware of what was going on.
You may view the complete news report about the father’s struggle to regain custody of his daughter by clicking on the link provided below.