Jens Spahn, a senior German politician and key ally of chancellor Friedrich Merz, has resigned from his position as chair of the Christian Democrat (CDU) party. The decision follows a public backlash after it was revealed that Spahn and his husband, Daniel Funke, used a surrogate mother in the United States to become parents. This action drew significant scrutiny because surrogacy is illegal in Germany, and the practice has been a target of Spahn's past political criticism.
Surrogacy is prohibited under Germany's 1990 Embryo Protection Act, which carries penalties of up to three years in prison or fines. As health minister in 2020, Spahn refused to relax these legal restrictions. Furthermore, in 2015, he wrote that as a gay man and a Christian, he found it difficult to support the concept of a "rented womb." Despite these past stances, Spahn announced the arrival of his child on Wednesday, telling the newspaper Bild that the baby, Georg, was their "greatest joy."
The announcement triggered immediate accusations of hypocrisy from both within and outside the CDU. Marion Rosin, a Christian Democrat in Thuringia, stated that politicians must be measured by the standards they set for others and suggested that his credibility had been compromised. Daniel Peters, the CDU leader in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, described the situation as "completely unacceptable," arguing that it was untenable for Spahn to remain as parliamentary group chair after acting in direct opposition to the policies he supported. Green party member Janosch Dahmen also criticized the perceived double standards, noting that political leaders should be able to explain why rules they advocate for do not apply to them personally.
Although Spahn initially defended his decision by stating he had "wrestled" with the issue, the mounting pressure eventually led to his resignation on Saturday. He acknowledged that his personal journey toward starting a family was incompatible with his political office. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who had previously declined to comment until an executive meeting, later described the resignation as the "right and inevitable" outcome, emphasizing that credibility remains the most valuable asset in politics. The CDU had voted to maintain the country's ban on surrogacy as recently as February, while the surrogate mother was four months pregnant.
