Tammy Myers feels free to breathe after a year-long fight.
On a wet Wednesday morning, April 2, the mother of three received a call from Sen. Winnie Brinks to commemorate the Michigan Family Protection Act, which was passed in 2024 and became effective this week. For the Myers family, forced to adopt their biological children delivered via surrogacy, the occasion marked a long-awaited milestone.
“It means the world to know that no family will have to go through what we did,” Tammy, 43, tells PEOPLE. “This change brings so much peace, dignity, and protection to families like mine.”
Tammy, who admits she’s still pinching herself, spent the morning thinking on the “emotional ups and downs” of the previous four years. “It just brings me to tears,” she explains.
The Michigan Family Protection Act legalizes and regulates surrogacy, accelerates the process of getting formal parental recognition, and provides better protection for parents, surrogates, and children.
“Had this law been in effect when Tammy and Jordan’s twins were born, they could have gotten an order before the babies were born,” says their lawyer and friend, Melissa Neckers. “In other words, they could have enjoyed the amazing blessing of their babies without the stress and legal uncertainty they were subjected to.”
Tammy and her husband Jordan, 41, made headlines in 2021 when they had to fight in court to adopt their kids, Eames and Ellison, due to Michigan’s outdated laws. The procedure took over two years.
Even though the entire family was present as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the legislation into law, Tammy didn’t feel like the trip was over. “The true celebration comes now,” she says.
Corryn, the couple’s oldest daughter, was eight when the twins were born and has been with them since. Tammy was a child when she received breast cancer treatment, which prompted her to consider surrogacy to extend their family.
“It’s just been exceptional to bring her alongside me and show her that her voice matters,” Tammy tells me.
Meanwhile, Eames and Ellison, who are now four years old and “excelling” in preschool, are only beginning to realize how they became a part of their family. “We’ve recently shared that they did not grow in mommy’s belly,” she adds, adding that it’s been “exceptional” for the entire family, including their surrogate, who is the children’s godmother.
Rep. Stephanie Steckloff, a fellow breast cancer survivor, is likewise pleased with the outcome.
“It’s a new day in Michigan—a day I’ve been dreaming about for years,” Steckloff tells PEOPLE in a statement. “Today we moved Michigan from among the most hostile states for building a non-traditional family to what I believe is now the nation’s flagship legal model.”
Tammy’s struggle continues. She intends to continue her lobbying efforts to increase funds and awareness for fertility therapies for cancer patients, as well as significant legislative reform.
Tammy thinks the twins will be proud to have helped shape history when they’re older.
She adds, “I think that’s my greatest hope.”