German CDU politician Jens Spahn resigns following surrogacy controversy

Jens Spahn, chair of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and parliamentary leader of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s faction, has resigned following criticism over his use of a surrogate mother to become a parent. Spahn and his husband had a child through surrogacy in the United States earlier this week, which prompted the resignation after mounting pressure within his party.

Surrogacy is not permitted under German law, and the CDU, a conservative party, has been strongly opposed to legalizing the practice. The controversy centers on what critics have characterized as a contradiction between Spahn’s past opposition to surrogacy—he had previously criticized “rented wombs”—and his own decision to use a surrogate to start a family, raising questions about hypocrisy and inconsistency.

The resignation highlights tensions within Germany’s conservative coalition government. Spahn’s departure comes amid backlash from within the CDU party over the perceived contradiction between the party’s stated positions on surrogacy and Spahn’s personal choices in starting his family.