Germany: CDU group leader resigns after being sidelined by Merz over his child born via surrogacy

Jens Spahn, the leader of the Union (CDU/CSU) parliamentary group in Germany, has resigned following the debate over his parenthood via a surrogate mother in the United States. This is according to a letter from Spahn to members of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, which is in the possession of the German news agency DPA.

German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in his capacity as CDU chairman, has called for the resignation of Jens Spahn, the parliamentary group leader of the Union (CDU/CSU). This is according to information obtained by the Deutsche Presse-Agentur from sources close to the party chairman. CDU politician Spahn had come under pressure earlier this week because he and his husband had become parents to a baby through surrogacy in the United States. Surrogacy is prohibited by law in Germany, and the CDU opposes its legalisation.

Merz raised the issue of Spahn at the CDU executive committee meeting, following internal criticism sparked by the decision of the CDU-CSU parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag to use surrogacy in the United States to become a father. The Chancellor had acknowledged that the matter raised “human, legal, social and ethical” issues affecting many people, but had reiterated that there is clear legislation in Germany: surrogacy is prohibited, and the CDU had confirmed its opposition to the practice in a party conference vote earlier this year.

Ever since news of Spahn’s paternity emerged, the CDU parliamentary group leader has been accused of inconsistency between his private choice and the positions advocated by the party, with some calls for his resignation. “By using a surrogate mother in the United States, Spahn has deliberately circumvented the law in force in Germany,” Daniel Peters, CDU leader in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and a member of the party’s federal executive, told Bild. According to Peters, it would be unacceptable for Spahn to claim a distinction between his personal decisions and his role as a political representative of the CDU.