After Spahn's Resignation: Union Seeks Successor, Debate over Surrogacy Reignited

Succession: Group Prepares Personnel Proposal

Several names are being circulated in the media for the candidate list. They include Chief of Staff Frei, Federal Interior Minister Dobrindt, deputy group leader Krings, and CDU General Secretary Linnemann. The right of proposal for the successor lies jointly with Chancellor Friedrich Merz and CSU chief Söder. The 208 members of the Bundestag will be recalled from the parliamentary summer break for the vote.

The CDU state chairman in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Peters, called for a swift decision on Deutschlandfunk. "Die Union kann den Sommer nicht mit Personalfragen verbringen," said Peters. A return to substantive issues would help the CDU in the election campaign. In addition, the decision must not drag on for days or weeks. A new state parliament will be elected in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in two months.

Debate over Surrogacy: CDU Sticks to Its Line for Now

Parallel to the succession debate, the controversy over surrogacy has gained momentum. Federal Education Minister Karin Prien expressed understanding for couples who seek help abroad. At the same time, she ruled out a short-term change in the CDU's position. "Das kann ich mir kaum vorstellen," she said regarding the possibility of a change of course. Prien is deputy CDU chairwoman and a mother of three herself.

Prien also spoke personally about the fates of affected couples. "Das ist ein ganz furchtbares Schicksal, mit dem man sich abfinden können muss," she said. When asked what was going through her mind regarding the issue of surrogacy, she replied: "Das muss unendlich schwer sein. Ich kann mir das persönlich ehrlicherweise nicht vorstellen." She also stressed that the heated situation must first calm down before the law and possibly adoption law could be examined more closely.

Voices from the Parties and Polls

The Greens and SPD also weighed in. Greens parliamentary group leader Britta Haßelmann welcomed Spahn's resignation as "absolut folgerichtig" and called for a renewed substantive engagement with the findings of the Commission on Reproductive Self-Determination and Reproductive Medicine. The commission had been established by the former Ampel coalition and presented its final report in April 2024.

The SPD women's group criticized a growing "Kommerzialisierung von Frauen in der Fortpflanzungsmedizin" and the exploitation of financial hardship. The Working Group of Social Democratic Women (AsF) has, according to co-chair Ulrike Häfner, not yet reached a final position; the opinion-forming process is still underway. Left women's politician Kathrin Gebel also expressed criticism of purely altruistic, i.e., unpaid surrogacy, since health risks, dependencies, and family pressure do not simply disappear because no money changes hands.

Among the population, an INSA poll for Bild shows a divided picture: 39 percent of respondents consider the ban on surrogacy in Germany correct, 41 percent consider it wrong. An unusually high 21 percent gave no answer or did not know. INSA surveyed 1,004 people between July 17 and 20; the maximum margin of error is plus/minus 3.1 percentage points.

Legally, surrogacy remains prohibited in Germany under the Embryo Protection Act. At a party convention in February, the CDU tightened its program on this point and rejects not only the commercial but also the altruistic form as incompatible with the party's values. The Commission on Reproductive Self-Determination had recommended that the legislature could permit surrogacy in narrowly limited cases, provided that the protection of the surrogate mother and the child's welfare are sufficiently ensured.

Greens leader Brandner encouraged Chancellor Merz on ARD to carry out a cabinet reshuffle. "Die aktuelle gesellschaftliche Debatte zeigt auch, dass es geboten ist, sich erneut inhaltlich mit den Ergebnissen der Kommission zur reproduktiven Selbstbestimmung und Fortpflanzanzungsmedizin zu befassen," stated Brandner. Merz had also indicated on ZDF that additional positions could be reassigned.