German CDU parliamentary leader Jens Spahn resigns amid surrogacy controversy
Spahn steps down from leadership of the CDU/CSU faction after intense pressure over his use of a surrogate mother in the United States, despite the party’s firm opposition to the practice.
Jens Spahn, the parliamentary head of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU faction, resigned on Saturday following mounting political pressure regarding his use of a surrogate mother in the United States. The departure comes amid accusations of hypocrisy, as the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) vehemently opposes surrogacy and recently voted in February to maintain Germany’s strict ban on the practice.
In a letter to colleagues, Spahn stated that his personal happiness in becoming a father was incompatible with his political office. He acknowledged that the "balancing act" between his private decision to have a child through surrogacy and the expectations placed on him as chairman of the parliamentary group had proven more difficult than anticipated. Spahn and his husband welcomed the child earlier this week, with the news breaking in German media shortly before his resignation.
Chancellor Merz welcomed the resignation, describing it as "right and unavoidable" to preserve the political credibility of the ruling conservative coalition. While crediting Spahn with helping the CDU return to power, Merz emphasised that credibility is the most valuable asset in politics. He also reiterated that there was "no reason" to change Germany’s laws on surrogate pregnancy or alter the party’s longstanding opposition to the practice.
The controversy sparked immediate criticism from within the CDU and across the political spectrum. Hubert Hueppe, head of the party’s group for older members, told Der Spiegel magazine that he was "personally shocked" by Spahn’s decision to go against the CDU’s clear stance, raising concerns about whether women were being instrumentalised. Opposition parties, including Die Linke and the Greens, criticised the move as a double standard where wealthy politicians circumvent domestic laws.
Luigi Pantisano of Die Linke told the Rheinische Post that the incident revealed a disparity where the law applies to ordinary people but can be bypassed by top politicians with sufficient means. Franziska Brantner, the parliamentary leader for the Greens, described the resignation as long overdue, noting that while the surrogacy controversy was "merely the final straw," she wished Spahn well on a personal level. Sources close to Spahn indicated that US regulations aimed at protecting women were a decisive factor in choosing the United States for the arrangement.
