Top German conservative quits after surrogacy sparks backlash within party

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing its staff and wire agencies AFP and Reuters, reported that Jens Spahn, a senior figure in Germany’s governing conservative bloc, resigned on Saturday as parliamentary leader of the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union. The move followed criticism from within the CDU/CSU after it emerged that Spahn and his husband had become parents through a surrogate mother in the United States.

Spahn, 46, had been one of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s key allies. As parliamentary leader, he was responsible for helping ensure that the government could secure votes for its legislative programme, a role Al Jazeera described as among the most influential in German politics. In a resignation letter to party colleagues, Spahn said he had concluded that becoming a father and forming a family with his husband could not be reconciled with his political position.

The controversy centres on surrogacy, which is prohibited in Germany, although German law allows intended parents to raise a child born through a surrogate abroad. Al Jazeera reported that Spahn’s own party voted as recently as February to maintain the ban, prompting criticism from fellow conservatives and accusations of hypocrisy from the opposition.

Merz said Spahn’s departure was the correct and necessary outcome, while also acknowledging his role in helping bring the CDU back to power. The chancellor said political credibility was essential and indicated he saw no reason to alter the party’s position on surrogacy, though he said the CDU would discuss the episode.