Adoption case judge tells Michigan couple challenge same sex marriage ban
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Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer outside of federal court (Credit: MyFox Detroit)
By AMY LANGE MyFox Detroit Reporter
DETROIT (MyFox Detroit) -- A same sex couple from Hazel Park filed suit against the governor and state attorney general because they can't jointly adopt. Wednesday, a federal judge suggested they instead challenge the state's definition of marriage.
"I just want my kids to have the same rights as everybody else's family. They deserve those rights," said April DeBoer.
DeBoer and her partner, Jayne Rowse, have been fighting for their kids all their lives. They are both nurses who fostered and adopted three special needs children, who are now thriving.
DeBoer and Rowse were certified by the state as a couple to foster the children, but the state only allowed them to adopt them as individuals. They want the right to jointly adopt. They want their children to have two legal parents.
"The kids deserve protection that every other child deserves," said Rowse.
So the women are suing the governor and the state attorney general because of Michigan's restriction on joint adoptions by people who are not allowed to marry. However, attorneys with the state called the efforts by the plaintiffs an end run around the state law.
In the end, that's exactly what federal Judge Bernard Friedman suggested they do, challenge the state's definition of marriage. That's really the underlying issue, he told them. It would be the first challenge to Michigan's law banning same sex marriage, and this couple might be the one to take it on.
"We're going to look at all of our options, talk this over and really do the rational thing that we decide is right for everyone," Rowse said.
"It makes it a broader issue with a much broader class of people being affected," said attorney Carole Stanyar.
"It would resolve this matter altogether if the ban on same sex marriage in Michigan was found to be unconstitutional," said attorney Dana Nessel.
"You're talking about bringing my children into even more than they've already been through, and I'm not sure we're ready to do that," said DeBoer.
Judge Friedman has given them ten days to amend their complaint. That's just a short time for them to decide whether or not they're going to take on the ban on same sex marriage in Michigan.
Monday, May 20 2013 7:30 PM EDT2013-05-20 23:30:05 GMT
There are new developments in the murder of a young woman in Grosse Pointe Park. Police have a person in custody in connection with the death of Sabrina Gianino, who was found strangled last week.
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Friday, May 17 2013 8:43 PM EDT2013-05-18 00:43:34 GMT
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Thursday, May 16 2013 9:37 PM EDT2013-05-17 01:37:11 GMT
Livonia firefighters had to break the windows of a ranch home on Oporto, trying to get to the homeowner. Once inside, they found the 60-year-old woman and her three dogs in a bedroom overcome by smoke.
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Thursday, May 16 2013 7:03 PM EDT2013-05-16 23:03:37 GMT
He is an aging war hero with an aging dog named Buddy that has been his faithful companion for 14 years. However, he can't care for him any longer, and his son says the last thing he wants to do is put the dog to sleep.
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An NYPD detective is accused of hacking into department computers and obtaining information about dozens of people including co-workers. Edwin Vargas was arrested Tuesday outside his home in Bronxville.
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Tuesday, May 21 2013 7:33 AM EDT2013-05-21 11:33:20 GMT
A New Jersey priest who resigned after admitting he worked unsupervised with kids despite a legal agreement that barred him from doing so is headed to court.
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The Metropolitan Opera says it's decided to disband its resident ballet company.
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An attorney for a former Michigan Supreme Court justice says community service would be an appropriate sentence for a scandal that forced her out of office.
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The American Red Cross is working in a variety of ways and from several different areas of the country to help the victims of the tornadoes which struck in the nation's heartland.
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Tuesday, May 21 2013 11:48 AM EDT2013-05-21 15:48:16 GMT
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Tuesday, May 21 2013 11:31 AM EDT2013-05-21 15:31:20 GMT
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Tuesday, May 21 2013 9:50 AM EDT2013-05-21 13:50:04 GMT
Find out how you can help the victims of Monday's deadly tornado that ripped through the Oklahoma City suburbs, killing dozens and flattening neighborhoods, schools and businesses.
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Tuesday, May 21 2013 7:43 AM EDT2013-05-21 11:43:15 GMT
Gustav Nyquist and Drew Miller scored 31 seconds apart midway through a previously scoreless game, helping the Red Wings beat the Blackhawks 3-1 on Monday night for a 2-1 series lead.
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Tuesday, May 21 2013 7:35 AM EDT2013-05-21 11:35:00 GMT
Police say a 55-year-old woman is dead and two men are wounded following a shooting at a vacant Detroit residence believed to have been used for drug activity.
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Jayne Rowse and April DeBoer outside of federal court (Credit: MyFox Detroit)
