Spahn fights for CDU post after US surrogacy row

Jens Spahn, the influential chairman of the CDU’s parliamentary faction, is fighting to keep his job after it emerged that he and his husband became parents through a surrogate in the United States. The revelation has sparked immediate outrage within his own conservative ranks because the CDU strictly opposes legalising surrogacy in Germany.

The core of the backlash centres on the timing of the pregnancy. According to Bild, the surrogate was around four months pregnant when Spahn voted in February to maintain Germany’s ban on the practice. Daniel Peters, the CDU leader in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, branded the move "completely unacceptable", arguing that Spahn cannot vote one way as a lawmaker and "act quite differently as a private individual". Peters demanded his immediate resignation.

Senior party figures have echoed these concerns, framing the issue around the ethics of commercial surrogacy rather than same-sex parenthood. Hubert Hueppe, head of the CDU's older members' group, told Der Spiegel he was "personally shocked" by the decision given the party's "clear stance". "Of course, I can understand that everyone desires a child, including homosexual couples," Hueppe said, but stressed the debate is over "whether women are being instrumentalised". The government's queer issues commissioner, Sophie Koch of the SPD, agreed on the ethical point, telling the Rheinische Post: "Many queer people want children and should be able to fulfil this wish," but adding, "I don't think commercial surrogacy is the right way."

The scandal presents a delicate test for CDU leader Friedrich Merz, who has so far refused to publicly back his embattled lieutenant. Merz stated firmly that he saw "no need to change" Germany's ban or his party's opposition to it. When pressed on whether he still supported Spahn, Merz deferred, saying only that the matter would be "discussed at the next meeting of the CDU's national executive committee".

Spahn has signalled he will not step down quietly. Speaking on a Bild podcast on Friday, the former health minister admitted he had "wrestled with myself for a long time, including on the issue of surrogacy." He added: "I was torn for a long time. But through this wrestling and engaging with the issue, we decided on this path," calling them "not easy decisions". Sources close to Spahn told Focus magazine that strict US regulations aimed at protecting women were the decisive factor in choosing an American surrogate.

The 46-year-old has been a key architect of Merz’s rightward pivot, particularly on immigration. His potential ouster over a deeply personal decision would remove a prominent conservative voice and expose deep cultural fractures within the opposition just as it attempts to challenge the governing coalition. Ultimately, Spahn insisted, his fate rests with his peers: "Only the parliamentary group can decide how things will continue."