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Jens Spahn surrogacy controversy and resignation

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2026-09-10 12:54 UTC → 2026-09-11 12:52 UTC · added ~~removed~~

German CDU politician Jens Spahn resigned from his positions as parliamentary group leader and CDU district chairman in Münsterland following controversy over his use of a surrogate in the United States. The practice is currently prohibited in Germany, and the discrepancy between Spahn’s personal actions and his party’s conservative family policies drew significant criticism. In response to the situation, some CDU members proposed adopting an ‘Italian model’ to extend Germany’s surrogacy ban to include arrangements made abroad. Spahn later issued a formal apology to approximately 2,500 constituency members in Steinfurt/Borken, admitting he was ‘too cowardly’ to be transparent about the matter at the time. He stated his silence was an attempt to protect his growing family, but acknowledged the contradiction with his previous public stances. He explained that he and his husband, Daniel Funke, underwent a years-long process of weighing options that eventually led to a change in his perspective. He noted that his decision-making was influenced by US regulations and German legal precedents established in 2018. Following his resignations, Thorsten Frei succeeded him as the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, while Spahn took a seat on the Bundestag Budget Committee.

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