Brownstone Upholds the
Highest Ethical Standards
As an attorney-led agency, ensuring that all parties are fully informed and empowered is in our DNA. Brownstone is one of the few government-licensed agencies in the United States and we apply the highest ethical standards to every surrogacy journey.
Let’s face it—surrogacy used to have a really bad reputation. For most people, the common associations with surrogacy are of the exploitation of women, especially abroad. But the “story” of gestational surrogacy should be really simple: Someone fortunate enough to have had easy and successful pregnancies does something incredible for another person who did not have the same good fortune. Done right, the surrogate, their partner (if applicable), and the intended parents will all feel great about the journey they’ve been on together. Brownstone does it right.
Our Values:
- We will never put profit ahead of people
- We will lead with warmth and empathy
- We will be honest and transparent in all facets
- We will strive each day to inspire trust
- We will anticipate our clients’ desires to help them realize their dreams
- We will be a positive member of and advocate for our communities
- We will work to dismantle oppression, inequity, and racism, because family formation is about love and inclusivity
Brownstone or its team members are members of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy (SEEDS) and abides by their respective ethical standards. Brownstone Surrogacy also proudly holds license number GS221023 from the New York State Department of Health.
We Do This The Right Way
Every Surrogate Receives:
- Personal support from our co-Directors, who are with them every step of the way
- Robust mental health support throughout the surrogacy process
- Independent legal counsel of their choice for both the gestational surrogacy agreement and parentage process
- Life Insurance coverage that provides a minimum benefit of $750,000
- Compensation and benefits that honors the sacrifices they make and account for the disruptions to their daily life
Every Journey Includes:
- Screening to ensure that all parties are financially stable and emotionally ready
- A matching process that gives both sides ample time to decide whether the fit is right
- Mental health support for all parties throughout the process
- 24/7 support
- Independent escrow to ensure that funds are managed by a professional and disbursed exactly as laid out in the surrogacy agreement
- Mediation to ensure that all parties are communicating in a way that recognizes each other’s humanity and the importance of each other’s role
- Unbiased referrals to the best attorneys, doctors, and mental health professionals
Some of these required items are not standard practice at other agencies, such as more robust life insurance coverage, more mental health support, and additional screening. Brownstone promotes a higher standard not for marketing purposes but because higher standards help promote more positive and more predictable outcomes.
Brownstone’s Principles:
Brownstone supports the consensus positions of the medical and mental health communities that:
1. Single embryo transfers are preferred.
While we will work with parents and surrogates who want to pursue twins, we promote single embryo transfers because we want to increase the probability that babies are born healthy through our program and decrease the probability of medical complications for our surrogates. We work with parents and surrogates alike to make sure everyone is fully informed of the additional risks of a multiples pregnancy.
2. Children born through surrogacy and/or
gamete donation should have the knowledge
of their biological origins.
While parents have the autonomy to decide what is right for their family, we encourage our Brownstone parents to have open relationships with any egg or sperm donors and to be transparent with their future children from the outset—in an age-appropriate way—about their origin stories. As one mental health professional put it, when you hear stories of people who are upset or angry about their biological or gestational origins, it is usually because of some deception, not because of their conception. While our program focuses on bringing babies into this world, those babies will grow up and we have a collective obligation to consider their rights and feelings as well.
Let Brownstone Apply Our High Standards To Your Journey
Brownstone Surrogacy is licensed as a surrogacy matching program by the New York State Department of Health. Our license number is GS221023. We are proud to be among the few agencies licensed by a governmental regulator.
“Gestation is a marvel, no matter how it is accomplished. But gestation isn’t the real magic. Love is the magic. Love is the only magic.” – Early: An Intimate History of Premature Birth and What It Teaches Us About Being Human by Sarah DiGregorio