BERLIN: A senior member of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) came under criticism on Friday after having a child through a surrogate pregnancy in the United States, despite surrogacy remaining illegal in Germany.
Jens Spahn, leader of the CDU’s parliamentary group, and his husband recently welcomed a baby boy born through a surrogate in the US.
The development has drawn criticism because the CDU has consistently opposed legalising surrogacy in Germany, with some party members accusing Spahn of contradicting the party’s position.
Chancellor Merz said on Friday that he saw “no need to change” Germany’s prohibition on surrogacy or the CDU’s opposition to the practice.
When asked whether he continued to support Spahn, Merz said only that the issue would be “discussed at the next meeting of the CDU’s national executive committee”.
Several CDU members were more outspoken, calling on Spahn to step down as head of the party’s parliamentary faction.
Responding to the criticism, Spahn defended his decision in a podcast with the Bild newspaper, saying he had carefully considered the issue before becoming a parent.
“I was torn for a long time. But through this wrestling and engaging with the issue, we decided on this path,” he said, adding these were not “easy decisions”.
