Same-sex couple's adoption case headed to Supreme Court

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- When Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, he said it had to go because it "humiliated" children of same-sex couples.

A Michigan couple is the latest case that puts children right at the heart of the same-sex marriage debate.

April Deboar and Jayne Rowse are the proud parents of four kids, but in their state, only married couples can adopt together.

Same-sex marriage is illegal in the state, and so Deboar and Rowse were forced to each adopt two children separately.

"In school, I'm listed as an emergency contact person. I'm not listed as a parent, and I have to have Jayne legally sign all documents. So I can't even sign a permission slip for my child to go to the zoo," Deboar said.

Attorney Dana Nessel and her team have worked on their case for three years, without pay.

Now, it's going all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

Same-sex marriage is currently illegal in 13 states, and the Supreme Court justices are expected to decide if the constitution guarantees a right for same-sex couples to marry.

"We hope this will resolve the issue of marriage equality once and for all in the United States for all 50 states," Nessel said.

Attorney Gloria Allred is welcoming the couple to Southern California, in part to raise money for their legal fees.

Deboar and Rowse said the support they've experience nationwide is overwhelming.

"I hope people don't look at us as just a lesbian family or another gay family. We're just a family and that's all we've ever wanted to be. That's all we set out to be, was to have equal protections just like any other family in the country," Rowse said.

The case will be argued before the Supreme Court in late April and a potentially historic decision is expected in June.