Resignation of Jens Spahn as Union faction leader after surrogacy becomes public

Spahn had been elected faction chairman in May 2025 with a result of 91.3 percent, but had been considered weakened since the summer at the latest. He had been accused of not leading the faction adequately through a series of crises – from the failed first election of Friedrich Merz as Chancellor, to the failed election of Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf as Federal Constitutional Court judge, to the revolt of the Junge Union over pension policy.

The trigger for his final downfall came with an interview Spahn had given to "Bild" reporter Paul Ronzheimer. In it, he spoke openly about fatherhood through surrogacy and said: "Ich habe lange mit mir gerungen, auch was das Thema Leihmutterschaft angeht. Aber eben über dieses Ringen und sich mit dem Thema beschäftigen, haben wir uns für diesen Weg entschieden." He acknowledged that he had not expected the outrage within his own party "nicht in diesem Umfang."

Merz pushes for immediate withdrawal

The turning point came with an appearance by Spahn on the podcast, in which he announced the faction's decision on his fate only for the September retreat. Alarm bells then rang among leading CDU politicians. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz pushed him to resign immediately, which followed less than 24 hours later. In the ZDF summer interview, scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday evening, Merz said: "Da hätte sich Jens Spahn hinstellen können, gestützt von mich als Kanzler, um zu sagen: 'Leute, in meinem Leben hat sich was geändert, ich zieh daraus die Konsequenzen, indem ich als Fraktionsvorsitzender in die zweite Reihe zurücktrete.'" Merz described Spahn's step as "right and unavoidable" and at the same time hinted at a cabinet reshuffle: "Es könnte eine Gelegenheit sein."

Within the Union faction, the pressure on Spahn had grown massively in the days before the resignation. The climax came from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's CDU leader Daniel Peters, who demanded Spahn's resignation in the "Bild" newspaper. The chairwoman of the Women in the Union faction, Mechthild Heil, also found sharp words: "Frauen dürfen weder zum Sex gekauft, noch als Brutkasten missbraucht werden," she told the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung." A self-assured CDU parliamentarian criticized in advance: "Es wäre schon gut, wenn er das in vorangehender Abstimmung mit uns tun könnte."

Contradiction to earlier political line

The criticism of Spahn also related to a fundamental contradiction: As Federal Minister of Health from 2018 to 2021, Spahn was responsible for the Embryo Protection Act, which prohibits surrogacy in Germany. In response to a small FDP inquiry, his ministry declared in 2020 that no change was planned, as the rationale of the regulation lay "primär in der Wahrung des Kindeswohls." Back in 2015, Spahn had said in "GQ" magazine as health policy spokesperson: "Als schwuler Mann und Christ kann ich mich persönlich nur sehr schwer mit der Idee eines gemieteten Mutterbauchs anfreunden."

Bochum political scientist Oliver Lembcke summed up the problem in a WDR interview: "Hier entsteht der Eindruck, dass Politiker Regeln beschließen, die für alle gelten sollen – außer für sie selbst." Lembcke said Spahn's step had "wahrscheinlich auch was mit seiner Person zu tun und auch mit der Kommunikation." He had not informed anyone in advance: "Ich bin seinem Wunsch gefolgt und habe ihm die Kommunikation überlassen."

At the same time, the CDU had expressly upheld the ban on surrogacy at a party conference in February 2026: "Angesichts ethischer, rechtlicher und praktischer Bedenken gegenüber Leihmutterschaft bekräftigt die CDU Deutschlands ihre Forderung, Leihmutterschaft – auch in altruistischen Modellen – in Deutschland weiterhin zu verbieten, um Missbrauch, Ausbeutung und gesundheitliche Risiken zu verhindern."

The case also triggered discussion within the federal government about possible consequences. Merz said in the ZDF summer interview that he wanted to contribute to ensuring "dass meine Partei einen Weg findet, mit dieser schwierigen Frage der Eizellenspende und des Umgangs mit der Leihmutterschaft umzugehen." With regard to a cabinet reshuffle, he merely said: "Es könnte eine Gelegenheit sein."

Open succession

The question of the faction chairmanship is thus open. Among those considered as possible successors are Thorsten Frei, CSU state group leader Alexander Dobrindt, and Federal Economics Minister Karl-Josef Linnemann. Spahn himself indicated in his letter that he would like to step back from the front row: "Sollte er das tun, würde er auf die Hinterbank rücken, wo mit Ralph Brinkhaus schon ein ehemaliger Fraktionschef sitzt (2018 bis 2022)." Brinkhaus currently sits as a regular member of parliament.

In his statement, Spahn also addressed his family and the public: "Eines ist mir in den letzten Tagen immer klarer geworden: Meine Familie ist mir das Wichtigste." He also wrote: "Mir ist in den letzten Tagen bewusst geworden, dass mein persönliches Glück, gemeinsam mit meinem Mann eine Familie zu gründen und Vater zu werden, nicht vereinbar ist mit meinem politischen Amt."

Reactions from the faction were divided. Union faction managing director Stefan Hoffmann declared: "Die Entscheidung von Jens Spahn verdient allerhöchsten Respekt." Hoffmann went on to say that Spahn had led the Union faction "durch herausfordernde Zeiten geführt und zum Erfolg dieser Koalition maßgeblich beigetragen." A leading CDU/CSU parliamentarian, however, warned to Reuters: "Jetzt müssen wir sehen, ob die Zusammenarbeit so vertrauensvoll fortgesetzt werden kann."

Divided reactions in the faction

Spahn himself also looked back on his political career in the "Bild" podcast: "Es braucht ziemlich viel, um mich umzuhauen," he said. In 2002, he was elected to the Bundestag at the age of 21 as the then youngest Union member of parliament, to which he has now belonged for almost a quarter of a century. He served, among other things, as Parliamentary State Secretary, Minister of Health, and, since May 2025, faction chairman. A return to the government bench – for example as Economics Minister after the Union's election victory in February 2025 – had been considered but not implemented.

The case throws a spotlight on a fundamental question of political personnel: How does a party deal with contradictions between private lifestyle and political program? Lembcke said in the WDR: Spahn should have coordinated with his faction earlier. A CDU parliamentarian from one federal state put it bluntly: "Bei allem Respekt, es gibt auch andere Bundesländer."

The coming weeks will show whether the Union draws political consequences from the Spahn case – both in terms of personnel and policy. Spahn had recently shown himself open to working on a fundamental solution. "Ich möchte aber dazu beitragen, dass meine Partei einen Weg findet, mit dieser schwierigen Frage der Eizellenspende und des Umgangs mit der Leihmutterschaft umzugehen," he said.