Transcripts For WPVI Nightline 20150916

Hundreds of millions of fans will spend hundreds of dollars apiece this season hoping theyll be the next one to strike it rich. Why critics want to crack down on this. But first, the nightline 5. Do you suffer from constipation or irregularity . Trust dulcolax. Dulcolax stool softener makes it smoother. Designed for dependable relief. Its from daddy. I love you, baby girl. Duracell quantum lasts longer than 99 of devices so you can always be there. Number one in just 60 seconds. I am never getting married. Never. Psssssh. Guaranteed. You picked a beautiful ring. Thank you. Were never having kids. Mmmmmm. Breathe. I love it here. We are never moving to the suburbs. We are never getting one of those minivan . We are never having another kid. Im pregnant. I am never letting go. For all the nevers in life, state farm is there. Good evening. We begin here tonight with the story of one father fighting to get his daughter back under extraordinary circumstances. His girlfriend delivered the baby and put her up for adoption without telling him. My nightline coanchor juju chang shows us what this dad did next and how his actions are shining a light on the issue of fathers rights. Sometimes all you can do is cry. You know . Thats all you can do. Reporter unlike many fathers when Chris Emanuel remembers his daughters birth, it feels him with pain. Missing out on the first moments of my daughters life, not see that first touch, that first hug, you cant put it into words of how you feel. You know, you can only imagine. Reporter me missed those precious moments because his girlfriend secretly gave birth without telling him, texting him this picture of her baby bump eight days after she delivered. All of them were lies. Reporter there was another agonizing twist. She had already put baby sylar up for adoption without his permission. What went your mind . Is she safe . Not knowing where my daughter is and who got her. You can only imagine how i felt. Reporter so began a harrowing legal batting for emanuel to win his baby girl back, navigating the thorny legalities of fathers rights, all while skylers living with an a adopted family. My daughter was stole from me. So i asserted my rights but my rights were stripped of me. Reporter it was three years ago when emanual met skyler lease mom at work. He now refers to her as an egg donor. They started off as friends. This is where the egg donor actually met. We worked at a Manufacturing Company driving forklifts. I love the fact that she would communicate. Communication skills. Reporter they texted all the time. Affectionate messages soon turning flirtatious. Three months later emanuel was overjoyed to learn he was going to be a dad. I was happy. Who wouldnt be happy . That was my first child. At that tape i was like, im going to be here. Were going to do everything we have to do. Talked about moving in. Let me meet your parents. I want your parents to see the type of person i am. Reporter emanuel knew under no Uncertain Terms her parents were dead set against him. Even racism. Hearing racism but actually feeling it is totally different. Just like being punched in the stomach. When we left she reassured me we would continue to raise our child together. Reporter her mother says emanuel is a liar. She said she disapproved of the relationship not because of the color of his skin but because he didnt have a job. His girlfriend started eed avoi meeting in person. She would say that her mom was coming. I didnt need to come. Why cant i come to the doctor appointment . If i cant come to the doctor appointment i cant think about missing my childs birth. Reporter her behavior raised red flags for his tight knit family. Four months before the birth his half sister and best friend suspected his girlfriend might give the baby away. I said, i dont think the egg donor is keeping the baby. He was like, no, she is, were going to get married and were moving in together. They had plans. I said, okay. But i still went home and started researching, started looking up fathers rights in South Carolina. Reporter South Carolina is one of at least 25 states that has whats called a responsible father registry. Unwed dads can sign up to be notified if their child is put up for adoption but very few people know about the list. In his home state 30,000 children were borne out of wedlock, yet less than 300 men signed up. The problem is if you dont register you could end up losing your parental rights. It can be used by lawyers for perspective adoptive parents to say, the person hasnt filed, hasnt put their name on the list, then were free and clear to move forward with this adoption. Reporter at first emanuel didnt want to sign the registry, but when his girlfriend failed to show up at a family planned baby shower he got nervous. He called me up one day and said, hey, sis, what was that website that you and joe were telling me about. He said, im going to do it right now. Reporter days later a knock on the door. And shocking news. Papers showing emanuels girlfriend had given birth a week earlier and had given their daughter to an adoptive family in another state. The only thing that mattered was me getting my daughter. Reporter emanuel refuses to give up his rights and immediately confronts his girlfriend who admits the deception. You misled me. You played me. You lied to me numerous times. I cant take back what ive done. Emanuel rush toes contest the adoption and hires attorneys. How critical was the fact if he registered . If he hadnt signed up for the registry he would have never known about this. No other recourse. He would have had no way of knowing. Reporter ironic twist, its babys skylers mixed race that gave emanuels girlfriend a loophole. On old South Carolina law only allows difficult to adopt children across state lines. Only kids 6 or older or with physical, mental, or emotional disability, or in skylers case, mixed race. What dad is not supposed to be there for their child . The greatest aspect a child can have is their fathers protection. Reporter but the out of state adoptive couple were lied to as well. Told the babys father was out of the picture. They sent emanuel a heartfelt email describing it as a last plea from desperate adoptive parents who love skylar with all of their hearts, assuring him he would go to the best schools. What was your reaction to them . Nobody can love my daughter the way i can. You cant take me from my daughter. Give me my daughter. Thats all that mattered. Reporter although she wouldnt talk to abc news, in the letter to the court emanuels girlfriend said she felt she could not provide for them and skylar would be better off with the adoptive parents, in a loving, devoted, and stable home. How tough a fight is that for an unwed father . Its surprisingly hard to prove that they wanted the child. There used to be this presumption that if you wanted to be a father, you would be married. Reporter what emanuel did have were pages and pages of texts that he says prove he was an engaged and devoted dad to be. And that his then girl end from deliberately lied to him about his daughters birth. After three long months the court made its decision, granting full custody to emanuel. Yay reporter now a single dad, raising her with an enthusiastic asortment of aboutunts, uncles grandparents making team skylar. Jennifer says the out come of emanuels custody bat is rare. She says in most adoption cases dads rights are often ignored what ch is why emanuel is starting a foundation and talking to Media Outlets like the atlantic. Fundamental rights, the right to part is a fundamental right. It can be trampled on easily in these scenarios. In your opinion what makes, you know, the right family for skylar . In my opinion the biological family should be the first choice to raise children, if theyre fit and willing. I dont think somebody who has money is going to raise a child better than somebody who doesnt. Reporter two weeks after the judge granted emanuel custody the adoptive parents reluctantly brought baby skylar back to South Carolina. Shes my baby. What was it like to hold your daughter for the first time . I felt a breath for the first time, seeing her eyes, seeing her touch. It was like i lost a part of me. I felt whole again. Having my daughter for the first time where shes supposed to be. Its a moment that is irreplaceable. Reporter for nightline, im juju chang in South Carolina. Up next here on the campaign trail and inside the o. R. With dr. Ben carson who is chasing donald trump in the polls and will be standing right next to him tomorrow night at the big republican debate. Proof of less joint pain. And clearer skin. 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Common side effects were pain, redness or swelling at the injection site, limited arm movement, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, less appetite, chills, or rash. Get this one done. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about prevnar 13® today. Usic another sunny day by belle and sebastian such a shame its labeled a getaway. Life should always feel like this. Hampton. We go together. Always get the lowest price, only when you book direct at hampton. Com in many ways hes the opposite of donald trump. Dr. Ben carson is softspoken, not a big fan of verbal trench warfare, but tomorrow night dr. Carson who has emerged in the polls as trumps main competitor will be standing right there next to the donald as the republicans meet for their second debate. Nbc takes us on the trail and inside the o. R. With the doctor. This the the hottest thing out there. This hat. Reporter its a campaign at times pulling out more like a reality show than a race for president. Im here for a certain reason. You know, its called tomorrow night. Reporter on the eve of the hotly anticipated second gop debate, entrenched frontrunner donald trump ready for the attacks against him. How is the debate prep going . Very good. Reporter there is one guy giving him a run for his money, from out of the shadows a new challenger emerging. Nearly neck and neck with trump in the latest polls. Debates are coming up, are you nervous . Preparing . What are you doing . Its not brain surgery. Reporter retired brain surgeon would know. Of course, you know, i prepare every day. And im learning more things every day. Reporter a New York Times cbs news poll released this morning has ben carson fully established as number ber two candidate within striking distance from trump. Do you worry you may trip or something . No. Reporter nightline was with dr. Carson on the trail just days s ago in cotexas. Thats what i call a texas welcome. When you come out to a rally like this, whats going through your head . I havent really even thought about how im going to start or what im going to talk about. That will all come to me when i get up there. You just basically go extemporaneous . Yes. Reporter surprising admission from a man from planning surgeries but one who speaks to his growing appeal among Republican Voters as a political outsider. Do you have lines that you go to that you know are applause lines . No. Not really . No, i dont, really. Ive watched politicians do that. That doesnt appeal to me. Reporter it was however a surprising zinger that helped him being a standout on fox. Im the only one who separated siamese twins. Reporter and the moment some believe his campaign really took off. The only one to operate on babies while they were still in a mothers womb, the only one to take out half of a brain although you think if you go to washington that someone had beat me to it. This is going on the interior frontal. Reporter abc news was in the operating room in 1999 filming for a special hopkins 24 7 when dr. Carson successfully removed half the brain of a 4yearold girl who suffered debilitating seizures. Making life and death decisions and profound decisions that affect the quality of peoples lives is an awesome responsibility. Reporter a statement with a certain kind of residents for a man looking to become president. Everything went very smoothly. No problems whatsoever. So the operation is all done. All your prayers worked. What was that like . I never, through all of those years, 15,000 operations, lost my awe of the brain. Every time i would take off that cranial bone and open the door and there would be the brain. I would say, wow, thats the thing that makes this person who they are. And im also fascinated still by the fact that, in a child, we can take half of that out and they can still function normally. Hold your head up . Yeah. See . Does being a surgeon give an advantage over the other people youre running against in this race . One of the things that we learn in medicine is to make decisions based on evidence as opposed to ideology. I like to know what things have worked. I like to know what things have not worked. You know, i like to look at history. And i believe a tremendous amount of information can be gained from that. Reporter the candidate of hard facts is also a candidate from hard knocks. As a youngster growing up the thing that i probably hated more than anything else was poverty. Reporter his upbringing in detroit, michigan, now a source of strength, was once marked by teenage rage. One day when i was 14 years old, another youngster with doing something that i didnt like reporter here in a 1990 video carson tells a group of young people how a moment of violence in his childhood cemented his faith. I happened to have a large camping knife on me. Nd and i grabbed it and tried to stab him in the abdomen with it. Figured i would put him out of his misery. Well, fortunately under his clothing he had on a very large metal rotc belt buckle. That knife blade hit that belt buckle and broke, and he took off. You know, i was even more horrified than he was because i recognized at that moment that i was completely and totally out of control. And i started praying and asking god to take that temper away from me. Reporter so its easy to see how today carson is unfazed when his faith is questioned by donald trump. He characterized you maybe as phony christian and a phony conservative. What do you say to that . I would say the record speaks for itself. I dont think people have to go very far to see what my belief system has been. Reporter carson hoping to turn around the country like he turned around his life, a case he will try to make on that debate stage. For nightline in los angeles. Coming up next here as more than 50 million americans buy into fantasy football season why some critics are calling for a crackdown. [ music playing ] hey let me help with that. Oh, thank you [ laughing ] [ music continues ] introducing the oneandonly Volkswagen Golf sportwagen. The sportier utility vehicle. 11,000 local activities right from our app. Its even harder to believe it took you this long to come here. Expedia. Technology that connects you to the people and places that matter. If an electric toothbrush was going to clean better than a manual. He said sure. But dont get just any one. Get one inspired by dentists. With a round brush head. Go pro with oralb. Oralbs rounded brush head cups your teeth to break up plaque, and rotates to sweep it away. And oralb delivers a clinically proven superior clean vs. Sonicare diamond clean. My mouth feels super clean. Oralb. Know youre getting a superior clean. Im never going back to a manual brush. Take the zantac it challenge pill works fast . Zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. Nexium can take 24 hours. When heartburn strikes, take zantac for faster relief than nexium or your money back. Take the zantac it challenge. Oh my gosh, its the guy from last night. What . can i jump on your wifi . Yeah, you can try it. Hey i had a really good time last night. Yeah, me too. The only thing is that. The only thing is what . Whats the only thing . Oh my gosh hes married. Hes a kleptomaniac. Hes a pyromaniac. Hes a total maniac. Hey hey go back to your wife you sociopath leave slow internet behind. Get the fastest wifi available for better streaming. The 100 Fiber Optics Network is here. Tea . Get out of the past. Get fios. Finally tonight the new twist on fantasy football creating big profits and big controversy. Heres abcs david wright. Draftkings. Com combines one day Fantasy Sports with winning life changing amounts of cash. If you watch football you definitely seen the ads. Pick your team and get your cash winnings after monday night. Reporter promising to turn monday morning quarterbacks into millionaires. Daily fantasy football. You pick your dream team and, win or lose depending on how your players perform. The leaders in daily fantasy have grown exponentially and people want to play daily fantasy. This is the instant gratification world. Reporter for the nfl its a money maker. Fantasy players watch more games, not just their home teams, and watch them longer. But critics say its gambling and ought to be treated as such. One congressman now wants to hold hearings. How is it any different than Sports Betting . Why, because you call it fantasy . Reporter Fantasy Sports have been around forever. In the 40s jack was obsessed with fantasy baseball. Today plenty of celebs get into the action. Elizabeth banks, ashton kutcher, marco rubio. Ive had different names. This year i think were going to call it the marco polos. Reporter more than 50 million players in the u. S. And Canada Spending an average of 250 bucks a year. Some really do hit the jackpot. Travis speith won a million and quit his day job. Fantasy, we all can root for. Im david wright for nightline in new york. Our thanks to david wright for that report. Our thanks to you for watching abc news tonight. As always, were online 24 7 on our Nightline Facebook page and at abcnews. Com. Thanks again for watching. Good night