---
title: "Jens Spahn Resigns: How Surrogacy in the US Destroyed the Career of the CDU Leader"
description: "CDU/CSU faction leader Jens Spahn resigned following a scandal over the birth of his son via surrogacy in the US. Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the politician's departure inevitable to preserve the party's reputation. 🇩🇪🗳️"
date: 2026-07-18T15:37:21.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/jens-spahn-resigns-surrogacy-us-destroyed-cdu-leader-career
tags: [yens-span, friedrich-merz, cdu-csu, germany, surrogacy]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Jens Spahn Resigns: How Surrogacy in the US Destroyed the Career of the CDU Leader

![Jens Spahn and his partner with a stroller in the forest: photo that became a symbol of the surrogacy scandal](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/18/yens-shpan-ustavka-surrogatnoe-materinstvo-germaniya/yens-shpan-ustavka-surrogatnoe-materinstvo-germaniya-1.webp)

A major scandal has erupted in German politics, leading to the resignation of one of the key figures of the conservative camp. On July 18, 2026, Jens Spahn, who headed the largest faction of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) in the Bundestag, officially announced his resignation. The reason for this personnel change was not a political defeat or an economic crisis, but a personal decision by the politician that came into sharp conflict with the party doctrine.

The events leading to the resignation began a few days earlier. On July 15, Spahn and his wife, journalist Daniela Funke, informed the public of the birth of their son, Georg. The child was born in the US with the help of a surrogate mother. For the German conservative establishment, this fact became a trigger for an immediate reaction, as it directly contradicts both the letter of German law and the moral principles of the party.

### Legal and Ethical Conflict

The essence of the contradiction lies in the legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Embryo Protection Act (Embryonenschutzgesetz), adopted back in 1990, classifies surrogacy — both commercial and altruistic — as a criminal offense. Violators face imprisonment for up to three years or heavy fines.

Although the law does not provide for punishment for raising children born via surrogacy outside Germany, the political price of such a step proved too high. In February 2026, a new resolution was adopted at the CDU congress, in which the party categorically rejected the idea of legalizing surrogacy, arguing that it is necessary to protect women's health and prevent their commercial exploitation.

For Jens Spahn, the situation was exacerbated by his past. In 2020, while serving as Minister of Health in Angela Merkel's government, he personally blocked a bill by the Free Democratic Party (FDP) that proposed the liberalization of relevant medical procedures. Now, having resorted to services that he previously considered unacceptable for legalization, representatives of regional CDU branches and the "Women's Union" declared his continued leadership impossible.

### Chancellor's Position and the Future of the Faction

The current Federal Chancellor and CDU leader Friedrich Merz did not defend his colleague, supporting the resignation. In an official statement, Merz called Spahn's departure an "inevitable" step to maintain political trust in the conservative bloc. "Reputation and program consistency are the highest capital in the political process," the Chancellor emphasized.

Jens Spahn himself, in an address to the deputies, acknowledged the existence of an ethical conflict. He noted that the gap between his private decision to start a family and the expectations placed on the faction leader proved too great. The politician stated that he would retain his mandate as a regular Bundestag deputy but would completely step aside from the strategic leadership of the party.

Currently, emergency consultations are underway within the CDU/CSU to find a new faction chairman. The party leadership aims to complete the approval procedure before the start of the parliament's scheduled summer recess. According to the Bundestag rules, changing the faction leader requires a new internal party vote, but it does not entail the automatic loss of mandates for the other deputies.