Germany: CDU's Jens Spahn resigns amid surrogacy controversy
Surrogacy is not permitted in Germany and the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) opposes its legalization. Spahn and his husband had their child through a surrogate mother in the US.
www.dw.com
Germany: CDU's Jens Spahn resigns amid surrogacy controversy
Surrogacy is not permitted in Germany and the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) opposes its legalization. Spahn and his husband had their child through a surrogate mother in the US.
Jens Spahn, the parliamentary leader of the ruling conservative bloc in the Bundestag, stepped down on Saturday amid a controversy surrounding his decision to have a child via surrogacy.
The resignation was requested by Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU).
Surrogacy is not permitted in Germany and the CDU opposes its legalization. Spahn and his husband had their child through a surrogate mother in the United States.
What has Spahn said?
"In recent days, I have come to realize that my personal happiness in starting a family with my husband and becoming a father is incompatible with my political office," Spahn said in a statement seen by news agencies.
Surrogacy controversy
Earlier this week, Spahn, 45, and his husband, Daniel Funke, announced that they had become parents and posted a photo on social media pushing a stroller.
The announcement attracted immediate criticism from all sides of Germany's political spectrum, accusing Spahn of double standards given his senior position in a party that supports upholding the legal ban on using surrogate mothers inside Germany.
Spahn had in the past said he found the idea of "rented wombs" very difficult to come to terms with as a Christian and a gay man, and he had voted on party lines in favor of the ban on using surrogates in Germany.
In a podcast interview with Germany's Bild newspaper on Friday, Spahn had tried to defend his decision, saying he had "wrestled with myself for a long time, including on the issue of surrogacy."
Spahn will not face legal consequences in Germany for having a baby via surrogacy, as it is not illegal in Germany to raise a child born abroad to a surrogate mother.
This is not the first time Spahn has faced controversy. As Germany's COVID-era health minister, Spahn was investigated for alleged misuse of public money.
So now I will have to contribute to the content of the thread:
The irony is the way bigger scandal is: He is friends with Peter Thiel and wasted billions of Euros buying way tooo many covid mask. But no the surrogacy controversy kills his career. My friends agree with me. This event won't damage his career not at all. Actually, it is a smart step. The Christian conservatives are going down. And he can leave the sinking ship. And when Merz loses the next election. The CDU might lean towards a coalition with the AfD. And many insiders say that Spahn has sympathies for tearing down the firewall. My friends all hate Jens Spahn. The story shows his hypocrisy and his take on assisted suicide is horrible. It is sad though that this was the straw that broke the camel's back. This should have happened way earlier.
