Parents Forced to Adopt Their Biological Twins Celebrate Getting Surrogacy Laws Changed (Exclusive)
"This milestone marks a significant stride forward for Michigan families who may one day confront the same journey of infertility,” mom Tammy Myers tells PEOPLE
Courtesy Tammy Myers
Left to right: Eames, Tammy, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Corryn, Ellison being held by dad Jordan Myers. CR: Courtesy Tammy MyersIt was no joke — on April 1, Tammy and Jordan Myers got to celebrate as Michigan surrogacy laws were officially changed.
With their entire family in tow, the Myers family — who were forced to adopt their own biological children born through surrogacy — stood by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as she signed the Michigan Family Protection Act into law.
“All of the traumatic aspects of this now have a purpose,” Tammy tells PEOPLE. “I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement and truly honored to have been part of this journey.”
The Michigan Family Protection Act advocates for the legalization and regulation of surrogacy, fair compensation and legal representation for surrogates, and equal treatment for children born through assisted reproductive technology. It also streamlines the process of obtaining parental recognition.
Courtesy of Tammy Myers
(L-R) Assisted Reproduction attorney Melissa Necckers VanderLeek with Senate Majory Leader Winnie Banks and Tammy MyersTammy and her husband Jordan made headlines when they were forced by Michigan’s old surrogacy laws to adopt their own biological children born via surrogate in 2021. The couple has been raising their children from birth and their surrogate, who serves as the children’s godmother, fully supported their parental rights.
“As the family who became the worst-case scenario in grappling with the hurdles posed by Michigan’s outdated surrogacy laws, the passage of these bills instills a deep sense of hope in me,” Tammy told PEOPLE after the bills passed through the State Senate on March 19.
She says she was a little nervous before the Senate vote approving the act after a long speech by the opposition’s Republican Senator Thomas Albert.
“He wasn’t even considering how these outdated laws affect real people like myself, my family and many families like mine,” the mom says. “I almost couldn’t sit still. He clearly doesn’t understand the trauma that our family has endured because of these outdated laws. So it just seemed that he was very out of touch from what real people in Michigan need.”
The bills’ sponsor, Rep. Stephanie Steckloff, tells PEOPLE House Bill 5207 “breaks down legal barriers that hinder reproductive choices.”
Courtesy of Tammy Myers
Rep. Samantha Steckloff with Tammy MyersSenate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, speaking to the bills on the Senate floor last month said the birth of the Myers' children should have been the happy finale to their story. Instead, it was months of legal battles.
“There’s no good reason to continue subjecting families in our communities to this kind of stress and unnecessary legal hoops,” Banks said. “The vote we are about to take feels like a long time coming for many of us in this room, but that wait has felt ten times longer for those who desire laws that honor and acknowledge their path to becoming a family.”
Tammy says after more than three years of sharing her family's traumatic journey and "tirelessly advocating for change," she also wants to acknowledge the scores of people who fought for the change in these laws including the grassroots Michigan Fertility Alliance led by Stephanie Jones and "legislators who have championed this long-awaited reform, ultimately bringing it to fruition."
But it is the Myers family who have put a face on this complicated political battle.
Tammy remembers holding twins Eames and Ellison, born Jan. 11, 2021, in the hospital when she received the call from their attorney that the judge had denied a cursory request for an emergency order for rights.
“Jordan said right then that they were messing with the wrong momma bear,” she says. “Truthfully, from that moment on my drive was never going to be over until we got to this point.”
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Tammy Myers
Myers family from left to right Eames, Tammy, Corryn, Jordan and EllisonMyers, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, says the couple "really wanted to have two to three children close together in age," and that they started trying for a second child when their daughter was 2. "That's when I found the lump and was diagnosed," she says.
The first words out of her mouth were “How long do I have?” and the second was “Can I have another baby?”
“Had I not asked that question, you can’t go back,” Myers says. “I was able to do an emergency egg harvest before I went straight into treatment and surgery for several years.”
Little did she know that after she finished cancer treatment and looked forward to the birth of their twins with gestational carrier Lauren Vermilye that she and her husband would be forced to adopt their biological babies — or that it would take close to two years of legal battles, insurance uncertainties and financial challenges before that would even happen.
Now, Tammy says she's happy other families won't have to endure the same journey as her family.
“This milestone marks a significant stride forward for Michigan families who may one day confront the same journey of infertility,” Myers tells PEOPLE. "These new laws offer assurance and protection for families, carriers and most crucially, children."
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