CDU’s Jens Spahn Resigns Amid Growing Scrutiny Over Surrogate Baby
Poinews.com – Jens Spahn, who leads the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German parliament, has decided to step down from his role as chairman following mounting pressure over his choice to conceive a child through surrogacy in the United States. In a letter shared with Union group members, Spahn stated that he had already disclosed his decision to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and CSU leader Markus Söder. “I have informed the party leaders of the CDU and CSU, Friedrich Merz and Markus Söder, that with this letter to our group I am resigning as chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag,” he wrote.
Spahn’s Personal Choice and Political Conflict
Spahn expressed gratitude for the “trust placed in me” by party leaders but argued that his “personal happiness, beginning a family with my husband, and becoming a father” no longer aligned with his political duties. “The balance between my private decision to use surrogacy and the expectations as group leader has become more challenging than I anticipated,” he added. Despite acknowledging the honor of leading the Union group, Spahn emphasized the importance of personal values in his role.
“I have informed the party leaders of the CDU and CSU, Friedrich Merz and Markus Söder, that with this letter to our group I am stepping down from my post as chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag.”
Merz, who hailed from Spahn’s hometown of Brilon, praised the resignation as “the right one” and “unavoidable.” In a statement released on Saturday, he highlighted the significance of “credibility as the highest asset in politics.” Prior to the announcement, Merz had reportedly urged Spahn to resign, according to reports from Bild newspaper. The media claimed Merz had discussed Spahn’s future with several CDU state leaders, with internal opinion largely shifting against him.
Brilon’s Call for Resignation
The CDU city branch in Brilon, where Merz was raised, had previously demanded Spahn’s resignation in an open letter. The text stated, “In the interests of our party’s credibility as well as the trust of our members and voters, we call on Jens Spahn to draw the political consequences and resign from his post as chair of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag.” The local branch argued that Spahn’s use of surrogacy abroad conflicted with German law and the CDU’s long-standing opposition to the practice.
“In the interests of our party’s credibility as well as the trust of our members and voters, we call on Jens Spahn to draw the political consequences and resign from his post as chair of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag.”
Other CDU figures, including Wolfgang Bosbach, echoed the sentiment. “I hope Jens Spahn spares the Union, and the CDU in particular, a months-long debate over whether he is still the right person to lead the group,” Bosbach said during an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio.
Church Leaders Weigh In
The controversy has also sparked criticism from religious representatives. Ernst-Wilhelm Gohl, regional bishop of the Protestant Church in Württemberg, criticized the decision as a “matter of double standards and credibility.” He noted that “when a politician goes public about using surrogacy abroad, it challenges the values of German law.” Catholic bishop Stefan Oster of Passau further remarked, “If a prominent CDU politician knowingly violates the country’s laws and the party’s fundamental positions on surrogacy—then promotes it, I consider that a real scandal.”
“When, of all people, a politician now goes public about having made use of surrogacy abroad, it is also a matter of double standards and credibility.”
“If a prominent CDU politician in the matter of surrogacy consciously violates, to fulfill his own wishes, the laws of the country and the fundamental positions of his own party in an issue so important to our view of humanity – and then actively and positively advocates surrogacy, I consider that a real scandal.”
The debate intensified after Spahn and his husband Daniel Funke revealed their parenthood through a U.S. surrogate on Wednesday. This decision has sparked backlash in Germany, where surrogacy is currently banned, and the CDU has consistently opposed its legalization—a stance Spahn had previously supported. The controversy now coincides with the upcoming state election in Saxony-Anhalt, set for September 8, just two days after the parliamentary group’s next meeting.
