Father won back the custody of his daughter after she was adopted without his permission.
- Christopher Emanuel’s former partner gave their newborn child for adoption without his consent.
- The South Carolina man opposed the adoption and fought nearly a year for custody of his own daughter.
- Emanuel eventually won his child back and started a foundation helping other fathers know their rights.
Christopher Emanuel’s newborn child was secretly put for adoption by his ex-girlfriend without his consent, UNILAD reports.
Prior to the incident, the South Carolina man had signed up on the responsible fatherhood registry and has legally fathered his daughter, Skyler. While going through this process, on February 4, 2014, he also made it mandatory that he would be notified in case her mother decides to put her for adoption.
Shockingly, only two weeks later, Skyler was adopted by a San Diego family. What’s more, Emanuel was not even listed on the documents as her biological father.
Pat Littlejohn, President of South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, told FOX 57:
“Before rights are terminated to allow an adoption to occur attorneys as well as department of social services will check this registry and if his name is on there he must be notified.”
Apparently, authorities failed to inform the father about the adoption process of his own child.
Emanuel said:
“I was lost man, I was hurt I was confused because I wanted to ensure that I could be there for my child.”
According to local laws, parents outside South Carolina have the right to adopt a child born in the state only under unusual circumstances. Since little Skyler is biracial, she falls into that category. Senator Katrina Shealy explained that back when the law was written, the public was less willing to adopt mixed-race children.
The outraged father decided to fight back and reunite with his daughter.
Emanuel sought help in the court system in Aiken County – Skyler’s birthplace. He commented:
“This was my opportunity to prove that I was deprived of that my constitution and state rights were violated. My daughter was in San Diego, CA with the perspective adoptive couple where her name is changed. I have medical documentation calling my daughter another name and she was never legally adopted.”
It took the father nearly a year after he opposed the adoption to win back custody of his child. Thankfully, after presenting court records showing that his paternal rights were terminated without his permission and expressing willingness to adopt Skyler, a judge eventually supported his position.
Emanuel was granted sole custody of his daughter. In no time, his little girl was sent back to him.
The father’s challenging battle inspired him to help other parents experiencing similar hurdles. He started a foundation called Sky Is The Limit, which educates dads all across the country on their parental rights.
