Jens Spahn, the parliamentary leader of the ruling conservative bloc in the Bundestag, stepped down on Saturday amid controversy over his decision to have a child through surrogacy.
The resignation was requested by Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU).
Spahn did not say whether he was standing as a member of the Bundestag.
Surrogacy is not permitted in Germany and the CDU opposes its legalization. Spann and her husband had their child through a surrogate mother in the United States.
What did Spahn say?
“In recent days, I have realized that my personal joy 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.
Following the announcement, Chancellor Merz said the decision was both “right” and “inevitable”, adding that “credibility is the most valuable asset in politics.”
Merz further revealed that he would now together with Markus Söder, leader of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), submit a proposal for the chairmanship of a new parliamentary group.
“The process and timelines will now be coordinated with party and parliamentary group committees,” he said.
surrogacy controversy
Earlier this week, Spann, 45, and her husband Daniel Funke announced they had become parents and posted a photo of them pushing a stroller on social media.
The announcement drew immediate criticism from all sides of Germany’s political spectrum, accusing Spahn of double standards, as his senior position in the party supports maintaining a legal ban on the use of surrogate mothers inside Germany.
Spahn has said in the past that as a Christian and gay man he finds the idea of ”surrogacy” very difficult to accept, and he voted across party lines in favor of a ban on the use of surrogates in Germany.
In a podcast interview with Germany Picture According to the newspaper on Friday, Spann tried to defend her decision, saying she had “struggled with myself for a long time, including the issue of surrogacy.”
Spahn will not face legal consequences in Germany for having a child through surrogacy, as it is not illegal in Germany to raise a child born to a surrogate mother abroad.
This is not the first time Span has faced controversy. As Germany’s COVID-era health minister, Spahn was investigated for alleged misuse of public funds.
However, state prosecutors closed the investigation into his COVID-era dealings in March.
After being re-elected leader of the parliamentary group with 85% of the vote in May, Spahn was seen as a rising star in the conservative bloc.
What was the reaction of other parties?
Political reactions to the news of Spahn’s resignation varied.
Spahn’s opponent, Mattias Miers, in the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), chose to focus on personal sympathy. The SPD is in coalition with its historical rivals the CDU/CSU.
“As an individual I can only imagine what the last few hours must have been like for Jens Spann and his family,” Miersch said. “I wish Jens Spahn and his family all the best and much strength for their time in office.”
Opposition politicians were more eager to twist the knife.
Far-right AfD co-leader Alice Weidel described Spahn’s resignation as “overdue” and said his COVID-era missteps alone made him “untenable.”
“He has now weakened a law that he himself voted for, which certainly destroys his credibility,” Weidel said.
Greens co-chairs Britta Haselmann and Catharina Dröge issued a joint statement saying that the resignation was “not simply about a personal decision that stood in disregard of the party’s position.” He said that Span’s “scandals, mistakes, and leadership weaknesses ultimately led to this situation.”
Sören Pelman of the Socialist Left Party said that anyone who “bears political responsibility must be measured by the standards he has set for other people.”
And Free Democrats leader Wolfgang Kubicki, who is the successor to Germany’s first senior openly gay party leader, said it was “regrettable” that Spahn had not made it clear earlier that “he had changed his opinion on surrogate mothers based on his personal experiences.”
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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