DETROIT, Mich. (Feb. 25, 2014) — Opening statements begin Tuesday morning in the case that change the definition of marriage and change Michigan’s laws on gay marriage.
A federal judge will confront the issues of children, parenting, and religion during the case of DeBoer vs. Snyder, the landmark case challenging the state’s marriage ban and second parent adoptions.
The case involves two nurses from Oakland County. April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse sued in January 2012. They argue the state’s gay marriage and adoption bans violate their rights of adopting each other’s children.
According to the Detroit Free Press, both sides claim to have science on their side. The state argues that Michigan voters have already spoken on the issue, approving a constitutional amendment that defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
One of several lawyers fighting to overturn the ban says gay couples are just as loving and capable as straight couples and deserve the same rights to families.
The case comes just a day after dozens of pastors around the state made their voice heard outside a church in Detroit.
The trial is expected to last eight days.
