A senior member of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s centre-right party, Jens Spahn, has resigned as chairman of the CDU parliamentary faction following political backlash over his decision to have a child with his husband through a surrogate mother in the United States.
Although surrogacy is banned in Germany, the arrangement took place legally in the U.S., meaning Spahn did not violate German law. However, the decision sparked public debate, particularly within the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which has traditionally upheld conservative family values.
Announcing his resignation, Spahn said he had come to realise that the controversy surrounding his decision to start a family had become incompatible with his political office.
“In recent days, I have come to realise that my personal happiness in starting a family with my husband and becoming a father is incompatible with my political office,” he wrote in a letter to colleagues.
His resignation has reignited discussions in Germany over the country’s ban on surrogacy, as well as the legal and ethical questions surrounding modern family structures and public office.
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