The Surrogacy Space, Ep. 18 - "Interview with Jarret Zafran, Esq, Founder and Executive Director of New York Based Surrogacy Agency, Brownstone Surrogacy"

The Surrogacy Space was joined by Jarret Zaran, Esq., attorney, founder, and executive director of New York based surrogacy agency, Brownstone Surrogacy (“Brownstone”) (www.brownstonesurrogacy.com). Brownstone is a full-service surrogacy agency based in New York City. They offer comprehensive support to both surrogates and intended parents, ensuring a professional, ethical, and personal experience throughout the surrogacy journey.  Jarret is an accomplished attorney but maintains an independent model at Brownstown where he focuses on the agency’s role only and the agency does not handle the surrogacy legal work in-house but instead refers out the legal work for the intended parent(s) and surrogate to independent lawyers based on the applicable surrogacy laws at play.

Brownstone has meaningful symbolism in their agency name and mascot, both New York style rowhouses, the “brownstone” and the Puffin. The meaning behind each is as follows:

• Brownstone: The term "brownstone" in Brownstone Surrogacy refers to a type of city rowhouse made of sandstone, which gives it a distinctive brown color. Historically, these homes were built for the middle class and have become an iconic part of New York City's architectural landscape. For many, a brownstone represents the ideal family home, symbolizing stability, warmth, and community. Brownstone chose this name to reflect their commitment to building strong, supportive families through surrogacy, much like how brownstone homes have been a cornerstone of family life in New York City.

• Puffin: Brownstone adopted the puffin as its mascot because it symbolizes the values and processes central to a surrogacy journey. Here are some key reasons why the puffin is a fitting symbol:

• Careful Planning: Puffins take time to plan their breeding, much like the detailed planning involved in surrogacy. They spend years learning about feeding places, choosing a mate, and identifying a nest site

• Shared Responsibilities: Puffin parents share equally in the duties of sitting on the egg and rearing the chick (called a puffling). This teamwork mirrors the collaboration between surrogates and intended parents

• Strong Bonds: As pufflings grow, they form strong attachments to their home. Similarly, the babies born through surrogacy form deep bonds with their parents, who have invested significant time and effort into bringing them into the world

On the show, we learned about the unique and customized matching services offered by Brownstone. New York surrogacy laws require any surrogacy agency performing matching services for New York applicable surrogacy matches to be licensed by the State of New York. Brownstone is based in New York City and was one of the first surrogacy agencies to receive a surrogacy agency license from the NY Department of Health.  We discussed the ‘all inclusive’ package model offered by Brownstone and learned about some common discussion points lead by Brownstone when matching intended parent(s) and surrogates.

Another important discussion on this episode of the The Surrogacy Space, was discussing some of the protections offered by New York’s surrogacy laws, such as the unique concept of a Surrogates’ Bill of Rights. Jarret explained that the Surrogates’ Bill of Rights is provided to surrogates and intended parent(s) at the beginning portion of the matching process so all parties are aware of the obligations and commitments required by New York surrogacy laws. The recent changes to New York surrogacy laws establishes rules and guidelines for surrogacy matters in the state of New York such as creating a Surrogates’ Bill of Rights (a copy of which must be provided to the gestational surrogate), establishes legal protections for the intended parents, sets criteria required in the parties surrogacy agreement, and revises New York laws to eliminate previous barriers involved in the second parent adoption process.  The New York Surrogates’ Bill of Rights addresses various protection categories such as health and welfare decisions, independent legal counsel, health insurance and medical costs, life insurance, and termination of surrogacy agreements.

You can listen to the full episode about Brownstone and New York surrogacy laws here: The Surrogacy Space, Ep. 18 - "Interview with New York Based Surrogacy Agency, Brownstone Surrogacy"

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